Child of Destiny
by Larabeelady
Summary: Methos and Duncan MacLeod find a child living on the streets and "adopt" her, and nobody's life will ever be the same. Sort of a "my two dads" scenario. Some bad language and suggestive situations.
1. Chapter 1

**Child of Destiny**

**by Andi Charleville**

I wrote this many years ago and posted it to a Highlander website, but am now uploading it to . I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Standard disclaimers apply. These characters (except Jess) aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them.

Part 1:The Teenage Years

The two men walked away from the theater, into the darkness of the night. Both were wearing long trenchcoats, and, unknown to the casual observer, both were carrying swords.

"Oh, come on, MacLeod, the movie wasn't _that_ bad. It did have some good action scenes."

"Please. The only good action I saw was the credits rolling, because it meant the thing was finally over."

"Oh, MacLeod, lighten up. No one ever said that this was Oscar material. Besides, it got us out of the hotel for awhile. I hate these damn layovers. I can't believe they couldn't have gotten us on another flight out tonight."

The man called MacLeod just rolled his eyes at his companion. "So you've said ten times already today, Methos. We'll be leaving in the morning, so knock it off." He was just about to continue, when Methos held up a hand and cocked his head. MacLeod did the same. Nothing.

"Methos, wh..."

"Shh. Listen." Then Methos took off running. MacLeod groaned, but followed him. He caught up with his friend at the mouth of an alley. When MacLeod followed Methos' gaze, he could feel the anger welling up inside him. Further down the alley was a young girl, maybe 13 or 14 years old, screaming in fright, and lashing out with her hands. But

MacLeod's anger was directed at the man straddling her legs, attempting to rip her clothes off. Finally, the man had enough, and punched the girl on the side of the head. Dazed, she lay still, her resistance gone.

The man was so intent on his young victim that he didn't even realize anyone was in the alley until he felt the sword at his neck. As he swallowed, the edge of the blade cut slightly into his throat, and he felt a small trickle of blood run down to his chest. Suddenly, the hard-on he had disappeared as abruptly as his courage.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to pick on someone your own size?" Methos said to him in a low, dangerous voice, "Now, get up."

The man slowly got up off the ground, Methos' blade still at his neck. Methos heard the girl moving behind him, but didn't take his eyes off the man. The man backed up about ten feet. When he was far enough away from the sword, he suddenly reached into the small of his back and pulled out a knife. Waving it back and forth in front of him, he tried to act tough.

Methos just smiled, and chills went down the man's spine. "I think my blade is a bit longer than yours. Why don't you go now, before I have to kill you."

"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't. Ben," he said to the surrounding darkness. "Shoot this stupid fucker."

Methos tensed, but nothing happened. The guy started to get nervous. "Ben, where the hell are you?"

There was movement in the shadows, and the man smiled, until he got a close look at the figure coming out of the darkness. This wasn't Ben. And this one had a sword, too. Fuck. His smile died.

MacLeod held up the empty gun for the man's inspection. "I don't think Ben's gonna be able to help you this time. Sorry." The man eyes darted back and forth between the two men, and to the girl on the ground behind them. Deciding retreat was preferable to dealing with these two, he took off running down the alley, and disappeared into the night.

Methos and Duncan both made sure that he was gone before they put away their swords, and turned towards the young girl. She was dirty, disheveled and thin. It looked as though she'd been living on the streets for awhile. She was backed up against the wall, and was staring at the two of them warily. But neither man was prepared for the words that came from her mouth.

"Are you angels?" she asked softly.

Methos and MacLeod looked at each other and smiled. MacLeod crouched down several feet away from the girl, so he wouldn't scare her. "No," he said gently. "We're not angels, lass. But we would like to try and help you. Will you let us?"

The girl just stared at them, then slowly put her hand out towards Duncan. He very gently squeezed it. "My name is Duncan, and this is my friend, Adam. What's your name?"

"J..Jessica." Tears started running down her face, and she wiped them away with her free hand. Then, with the greatest dignity, she looked up and them, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Then she fainted.

If MacLeod hadn't been holding on to her hand, she'd have fallen and hit her head. As he lowered her to the ground, his hand brushed her side, and came away covered with blood. Lifting her shirt, MacLeod swore under his breath. "Damn, she's been stabbed, Methos. We need to get her to a hospital."

Duncan picked her up, and they walked until they got to the street. They hailed a cab, and instructed him to take them to the nearest hospital. The cabbie was nervous. "Listen, I don't want any trouble."

Methos growled. "Take us to the hospital and drop us off, and you won't have any. Argue with me, and you'll have more than you can handle. Now, GO!"

The cab driver drove as fast as he dared, and took every shortcut he knew. He wanted to get these two _out _of his cab. When they got to the hospital emergency entrance, Methos paid the driver, while Duncan carried her into the hospital. The nurse on duty spied them and yelled for someone to bring a gurney. MacLeod turned her over to the medical

attendants, and he and Methos headed towards the waiting room.

The nurse came in for some papers for them to sign, and they admitted that they didn't know the girl, except for what little she had told them. She sighed, and went to inform Dr. Brevard.

Dr. Brevard came in a few minutes later, and introduced herself, then asked them to explain how the girl had come to be in their company. They explained the encounter in the alley, and how they hadn't know the girl was hurt until she passed out. Dr. Brevard smiled gently. "Well, that explains it."

Duncan tensed slightly. Uh-oh. "Explains what?"

"She's been asking where her angels went. I guess after saving her from an attack, you must have seemed like a pair of guardian angels to her." She sighed. "You do realize that I'll have to call social services. She looks like she's been out on the streets for a few weeks. She'll have to be placed in a home." She was about to go on, when they heard screams coming from the cubicle where Jessica had been taken. Dr. Brevard hurried in, with MacLeod and Methos hot on her heels.

There was a nurse near the head of the bed with a needle, trying to get Jessica to lie still for an injection. Another nurse was near the foot of the bed, trying to grab onto Jessica's legs, but she kept thrashing them around, and the nurse couldn't get ahold of them. Suddenly spying Duncan and Methos in the doorway, Jessica yanked her arm forcibly from one nurse's hold, pushed the other nurse away with her leg, hopped off the bed and ran behind Duncan and Methos. She then eyed the medical personnel from behind the safety of her two saviours. Both men where startled when she grabbed each of them by the hand, and smiled up at them shyly. Duncan and Methos exchanged resigned looks. She had both of them by the heart, this little waif they'd stumbled across.

Methos looked at the doctor. "What's in the needle?"

"It's a sedative. It'll help her sleep, while we stitch up her wound."

Methos nodded, then knelt down in front of the girl. "You need to let these people help you. They won't hurt you, I promise." She still looked scared. Methos tried again. "Will you let them give you the injection if I hold you in my lap?"

The girl looked at him, with eyes older than anyone her age should have to have. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

Methos looked at Dr. Brevard. She nodded slightly, giving her approval. Methos turned back to Jessica. "I'll be here, I promise. And I don't break my promises. Okay?" When Jessica nodded, Methos picked her up and walked over to the bed. Instead of laying her on it, he sat down, and held her. The nurse took one arm, and cleaned the area. Duncan enfolded Jessica's other hand in his, as the nurse stuck in the needle, and injected the drug into the girl. Jessica flinched, but didn't make any other sound. Once it was done, Duncan squeezed her hand. "There, that wasn't so bad, now, lass, was it?"

Still in the safety of Methos' arms, she looked at Duncan. "What's a lass?"

Duncan smiled. "That's what people in Scotland call a young lady, a lass."

"Are you from Scotland?"

"Aye, lass, that I am."

"Do you miss it?"

"Aye, very much sometimes."

"Tell me about it," she said, her eyes starting to droop as the sedative took effect. So Duncan started to tell her about some of the wonders of Scotland, the beauty of the land and the people who called it home. Once she was asleep, Methos got up and gently lay her on the bed. Dr. Brevard asked them to return to the waiting room.

"We'll get her stitched up and moved into a room, then you can join her. I assume you _did_ mean what you said, about being here when she woke up?"

"Of course," Methos said. "I promised." So they returned to the waiting room. Once they had Jessica moved to a room, Duncan and Methos made themselves as comfortable as possible in the chairs, thankful that there wasn't another patient in the room. Duncan looked at the girl, her face now scrubbed of the dirt, her hair clean and falling on the pillow in shining black waves.

When she started to wake, both men pulled their chairs a little closer, so she could see them when she opened her eyes. When she looked at them, her face lit up, and tears came to her eyes. "You stayed."

"We promised, didn't we?"

Her face grew sad. "Not everyone keeps their promises. At least, not anyone I've ever met." Then she hugged her arms around her waist, as if to keep some dark part of her soul from escaping. Methos watched her, knowing that there was something wrong. But before he could ask her about it, she wiped her eyes, then stared at them. "I didn't tell anyone, you know," she whispered to them.

They were perplexed. "Tell anyone about what, lass?" Duncan asked her.

"About the swords. I didn't tell anyone, not even the doctor." She looked so proud of herself, like she had to protect her heroes. Methos pushed her hair back from her face.

"We're very grateful for that. It would have been...complicated, trying to explain that."

She nodded, seeming more grown-up and less like a little girl. "I figured as much, that's why I didn't say anything. And I won't, ever. I promise."

Just then, Dr. Brevard came into the room, followed by two women, whose very attitude screamed of social services. Jessica tensed, sensing that these women were here to take her away from her heroes.

"Jessica," Dr. Brevard asked, "how are you feeling this morning?"

"Sore, but okay. Who are they?" But she already knew, somehow.

"This is Mrs. Andrews and Miss Hathaway, from Social Services. They're here to take you back to your foster parents."

Jessica shook her head. "I don't want to go back, he hurts me. I don't like it there."

Mrs. Andrews stepped forward, her face a set in a grim-faced mask. "Now, Jessica, we investigated, and found nothing wrong. You have to stop making up these stories. You're going back, and that's final."

"Wait a minute," Methos broke in. "Jessica, what do you mean, he hurts you? What's he been doing?"

"This is ridiculous, sir. Who are you, and what gives you the right to question my authority?"

"I'm not questioning anything, but I would think you would take her complaints seriously, if she says her foster father is hurting her."

"We did take them seriously, sir, I can assure you, but we found no basis for her accusations. The girl's file says she's incorrigible. Now, Jessica, the doctor has released you into our care, so get dressed and come along."

The girl, very near to tears, silently grabbed the bag Miss Hathaway held out to her, and went into the bathroom and changed. When she came out, both Duncan and Methos could see that she looked more scared now then she had in the alley several hours earlier. Trying to hold her tears back, she went up to Duncan, who crouched down, and accepted a hug. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered.

Duncan kissed her on the cheek. "You're welcome, lass."

Turning to Methos, she found him on his knees, arms held out. She rushed into them, and held on tightly to his neck. In his ear, she whispered, "I'll keep my promise, always."

Setting her back down, Methos grabbed her hand and kissed her cheek. She looked back at both of them as she was led from the room. Dr. Brevard looked uncomfortable, but it was out of her hands. Silently, not willing to look either man in the eye, she turned and walked out.

Once her footsteps had faded away, Duncan turned to Methos. "Okay, what was on that slip of paper you slipped Jessica?"

Shrugging into his coat, Methos looked at MacLeod blankly. "I don't know what you mean." And he walked out of the room. Duncan followed him, but didn't ask anything else. Methos would tell him when he was ready, and not a moment before. It was his way.

When they returned to their hotel, Duncan tried to call the airlines, to set up another flight, since they'd missed theirs by staying at the hospital with Jessica. Methos was holed up in his room, and ordered breakfast from room service. Duncan didn't see him all day.

It was getting close to dinner when Methos finally rang Duncan's room. "MacLeod, I've ordered room service to be sent to my room. Could you come over here? We need to talk."

"Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Duncan arrived at the same time room service did. He didn't say anything about there being three covered plates on the tray until the hotel employee was gone. He eyed the cart, then lifted an eyebrow at Methos.

Locking the door and putting on the security chain, Methos went to the bathroom door and knocked. The door opened, and Jessica came into the room. Seeing Duncan, she came up and gave him a hug. Over the girl's head, Duncan looked at Methos, and said, "I figured you were up to something, old man. That slip of paper had the hotel and room number, didn't it?"

Methos shrugged. "Just in case she needed it."

Duncan didn't say anything more until dinner was over. He also couldn't resist when Jessica asked him to tell her more about Scotland. But once it started getting late, Methos declared it was time for her to hit the sack.

"Adam, I need to talk to you."

"In a few minutes, okay, MacLeod. Let me get her situated first." So Jessica got ready for bed and even seemed to enjoy having "Uncle Adam" tuck her in. Duncan looked on indulgently, glad to see her acting as a girl her age should act, not as someone who's already seen the worst life has to offer. He was startled out of his musings when Methos grabbed a folder and told Jessica he'd be back in just a little while. "Don't open the door for anyone, and don't answer the phone, okay?" The girl nodded solemnly, then closed her eyes. Methos followed Duncan down to his room, and before Duncan could ask him what the hell he was up to, Methos held out the folder to him.

"What's this?" he asked Methos.

"Just some interesting reading material I got off the computer."

"Methos, what did you hack into this time?"

"The files at Social Services."

"WHAT? Methos, what is going on here? Why is Jessica here, and just what are you planning to do?"

Methos started pacing, his anger growing more and more pronounced. "I looked into the files of her foster parents, Mac. Do you know, Jessica is the fourth child to make complaints against this man? Two other girls and a boy that were placed with them made the same accusations. All were investigated and found to be 'stories' made up by the children. All the children were labeled incorrigible. One of those girls is now working the streets to support a cocaine habit. The other was found raped and murdered after she ran away for the third time. And the boy disappeared some two years ago, and hasn't been seen since. The department even sent a letter to this son of a bitch thanking him for being willing to continue to allow these children into his home afterwards."

Duncan looked at the folder with wide eyes. "Four children, and they're still placing kids with him? How is that possible? Not even social services could overlook something like this."

"They could if one of the directors just happens to be this guy's ex-brother-in-law. MacLeod, please, just read the file. Everything's in there."

The room was silent while Duncan read over everything that Methos had been able to gather. He thought back to that young, sweet-faced girl in the room down the hall. He looked at Methos. "What are you planning to do? Take this to the authorities and force them to remove her from his home?"

"What guarantee is there that her next foster home would be any different? I know, I know, a lot of people become foster parents because they genuinely love kids and want to help. But there are too many others that only do it for the money the state gives them, or because they want victims that they can be in control of. This guy started back in on Jessica the moment the social services people dropped her off this morning. He took her into her room, and started groping her. Then he told her that she better get used to it, because she belonged to him. I am _not_ going to let her go back to the system, just so they can send her back to this bastard."

Duncan didn't like where this conversation was going. "Methos, what are you going to do?"

"I'm taking her with me."

"You can't be serious! You can't just take her like she's a stray puppy, Methos. She's a little girl, one that the state has jurisdiction over. You can't honestly think that they're going to let you adopt her, or anything."

"I don't plan to ask. I have a friend who happens to have a talent for forgery. I'm going to get him to make up some papers giving me guardianship of Jessica. Who's going to know? We'll be in a different state, and as long as she's taken care of, who's going to check the papers? They don't have time to check on everyone who has a child."

"Methos, this is illegal.

"It's also right, MacLeod, and you know it."

MacLeod just looked at Methos, then started laughing. "When you think about this, Methos, this is all pretty ironic. Normally, _you're_ the one trying to talk me out something, and chiding my 'boyscout' ethics. Someone must have switched our brains when we weren't looking."

Methos smiled, the humor of the situation dawning on him, but then his expression sobered. "Look, Mac, I understand if you don't want any part of this. I'll do it on my own. Just promise me that if something happens to me, that Jessica gets a good education, and that she has a good teacher, when her time comes, to show her how to keep her head."

Duncan wasn't surprised at this last request, having felt the faint buzz that signaled a pre-immortal. "Is that what this is all about, Methos? Because she's a pre-immortal? Would you be doing this if she weren't?"

Methos was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, I think I would. Even if she weren't destined to become one of us, I'd still do this."

Duncan sighed, then gave in, as he had known he would from the moment she had slid her hand into his with all the trust shining in her eyes for her 'angels.' "All right, old man, make sure my name is on the guardianship papers your friend makes. If anything happens, I don't want anyone questioning the validity of my claim."

Methos smiled. "Thanks, Mac, you won't regret this."

"When are you going to tell Jessica, or have you already?"

"No, I haven't told her yet. I wanted to see what you would say. I figured I'd tell her tomorrow."

Duncan headed towards the phone. "I'd better get another plane ticket for her, then. Good thing it's summer, so no one back home will question why she's not in school." He stopped. "Speaking of which, what do you plan to do about school for her?"

"Figured the three of us would talk that over tomorrow." Duncan shook his head, and nodded goodnight to Methos as the man headed out the

door.

The next morning, Duncan knocked on the door to Methos room. When Methos opened the door, Duncan picked up his suitcase and a shopping bag, and walked inside. After closing and locking the door, he turned and had to drop his things as Jessica threw herself into his arms. Looking up at Methos, he said, "I guess this means you told her?"

"Is it true, are you and Adam going to take care of me?" Her eyes were uncertain, like a kid seeing a mound of presents under the tree on Christmas morning, and not believing they were all for her.

"Aye, lass, it's true." Picking up the shopping bag, he handed it to Jessica. "Here, I thought you might like some clothes that were yours, and not someone else's."

Taking the bag over to the bed, Jessica pulled out a brand new pair of jeans, a dark blue shirt, and a pair of Nike tennis shoes. All the clothes still had the tags on them from the store. Lifting her eyes to Duncan, she said, "For me?"

"Well, I don't think they'll fit Adam. Of course, they're for you. I had to buy my new girl something special." When the tears started to well up in her eyes, Duncan felt pole-axed. "C'mon on now, lass, don't do that. I meant to make you happy, not make you cry."

Hugging him around the waist, she said, "You did make me happy. No one's ever bought anything just for me before. I love them, Uncle Duncan. Thank you." She scampered off the bed and ran to change into her new clothes. Duncan looked up to see Methos grinning at him in amusement.

"You're an old softy, Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."

Duncan refused to rise to the bait. "Like that little girl doesn't already have your heart tied around her finger. All she has to do is look at you with those big, blue eyes of hers, and you melt into a puddle at her feet." Methos cocked his head to one side, a sign of agreement, then shrugged and nodded happily.

Over breakfast, again compliments of room service, the three talked about how they planned to do this.

"It's summer, now, Jessica," Methos said, "so you'll come home with us to Seacouver. We'll get to know each other, and Duncan and I can show you the sights. Come fall, though, you'll need to go back to school."

Duncan jumped in at this point. "Now, we have some things that will need to be worked out. Where you're going to live, for one thing, either with me, or with Adam. But one thing that is very important is that you get an education. Good grades are a must."

"And it's imperative that you never tell _anyone_ about how you came to be our ward. We'll be telling people that your father, our brother, died, and that Duncan and I were named your guardians." Methos added. "There will be a few people that will be told the truth. Trusted friends of ours. But other than that, the truth stays between us."

They returned to Seacouver on the afternoon flight. Needless to say, Richie Ryan was surprised when Methos and Duncan got off the plane with a young girl in tow. Especially when she asked "Uncle Adam" who Richie was. Richie just accepted the introduction, and turned questioning eyes to Mac, but didn't say anything else until after their luggage was collected and they were in the car.

The minute Duncan started the car, Richie leaned forward and said, "Okay, what's going on here, 'Uncle Adam?' I know this is not your niece." So Methos explained what had happened. Richie leaned back as he took this all in. "So, you and Duncan are going to raise her? Together?"

Duncan looked at him in the rearview mirror. "What, you don't think we're capable of it?" Duncan asked, mildly insulted. So was Methos, for that matter.

"No, it's not that, Mac. It's just...well...hell, I don't know what I mean. It's just a surprise, that's all. It's not that you wouldn't be a great dad, Duncan. Hell, you've been like a father to me. I just never figured you for raising a kid full-time, that's all."

Duncan and Methos were about to defend their decision, when Jessica turned her blue eyes towards Richie. "So, if Duncan is like a father to you, and he's my uncle, that means you're my cousin. I always wanted a cousin." Methos and Duncan both had trouble containing their grins as Richie, too, fell under the charmer's spell. Turning back to the two men in the front seat, he gave his approval to this 'adoption.'

"Oh, heck, it'll be fun having her around. Makes me feel like a big brother."

Duncan drove straight to Joe's. Jessica's eyes got big as she surveyed the outside of the bar. "Where are we, Uncle Duncan?"

"There's someone else we want you to meet, Jessica. C'mon, it'll be alright. Joe's a real good friend of ours, sort of like a father to me."

Jessica accepted this with glee. "Then he'll be sort of like my grandpa."

Methos couldn't contain his mirth. "Tell you what, Jessica, when Duncan introduces you to Joe, you tell him that, okay?"

Her trust in her 'uncle' absolute, she nodded. "Okay." She completely ignored the fact that Methos and Richie were both snorting with laughter, or that Duncan was rolling his eyes at the two men, and giving them a stern look over his shoulder. She just entered the bar, like she had full run of the place. Knowing how she wrapped people around her finger, Duncan had no doubt that Joe, too, would succumb, and that he would be doting on her just like a grandpa would.

"Joe, you in here?" he called out.

Rising up from under the bar, Joe smiled. "Mac, good to see you back." Seeing Jessica standing next to Duncan, he asked, "And just who is this little beauty?"

"Hi, Grandpa." she said with an impish smile at the man behind the bar.

All three immortals broke into laughter at the stunned look on Joe's face. By the time it subsided enough for either Mac or Methos to answer Joe's questions, tears were streaming down their faces from the laughter.

Methos and Duncan explained the whole story from the top, and explained what they planned to do. Duncan could see that Joe had a lot of questions that he couldn't voice in front of Jessica. Pulling out his billfold, he handed some money to Richie. "Richie, take Jessica over to the ice cream parlor, and let her have a treat, okay. Come back in a half hour or so." Richie nodded, understanding Duncan's request.

Once they had left, Joe turned to the two men. "Are you two sure you know what you're doing? You could be placing her life in danger, if someone wants to use her to get to either one of you. I understand why you wanted to get her away from her foster father, but what happens now? And what if she finds out about you?"

"She already knows we carry swords, Joe, and she didn't tell anyone." Methos said. "She's an intelligent kid." He paused, knowing Joe would need to know this. "She's also a pre-immortal, Joe."

Joe sighed. "So, one day she'll be like you. And you two are going to teach her how to handle herself." At least the girl would be able to defend herself in The Game, with these men teaching her.

"Eventually, yes." Duncan said. "Probably even start her on some training this summer. But I want to take her places, let her have fun, let her be a kid. I want to show her that not everyone is like her foster father. I want her to feel like part of a family."

Joe's eyes lit up in a devilish manner. Duncan and Methos looked at each other, then back at Joe. "Joe," Duncan asked slowly, "what is going on in that mind of yours?"

"Well, I was just wondering, Mac, if you and Methos are going to be her 'uncles', does that mean Amanda is going to become an 'aunt?'"

"Amanda? What made you think of her, Joe?"

"Nothing, unless it's the fact that she's at your loft right now, waiting for you to get home."

"Amanda's in town?"

"Got in last night. How are you going to explain your new-found unclehood to her, Mac?" Joe was laughing, thinking about all the reactions Amanda might have to this news.

Duncan and Methos exchanged glances, then Duncan pulled the phone closer to him. Calling the loft, he told Amanda where they were, and asked her to come down. They had a favor to ask her.

When Amanda arrived an hour later, the four men where gathered around the table, getting trounced at poker by a thirteen-year-old girl. Amanda couldn't believe her eyes. "Well, well, well, how the mighty have fallen. Who's your friend, Duncan? Do I have competition?" But the smile she bestowed upon the girl was soft and sincere.

Duncan introduced Amanda and Jessica. Jessica looked at her, then asked Duncan, "Is she your girlfriend, Uncle Duncan?" Amanda was taken aback at the title, but just looked at Duncan, waiting for him to answer. The poor man looked so uncomfortable, that Amanda finally let him off the hook. "Sometimes, sweetie, I let him think so. Now, what's this favor, Duncan?"

"Oh, I think you'll enjoy this one, Amanda. See, Jessica needs some things, woman-things, ya know?" The blush was creeping up Mac's face slowly, as Amanda continued to stare at him. "We, Adam and I, that is, wondered if you would be willing to take her shopping."

Patting his cheek, Amanda smiled. "I'd be happy to, Duncan, if that's alright with Jessica?" She turned to the girl, and received an enthusiastic nod. Duncan reached into his wallet for his credit card, but Methos handed his to Amanda first. "Take mine, Amanda, and have fun. By the way, make sure you pick out something dressy for both of you. I'm treating everyone to dinner tonight at La Petite."

Amanda looked at Methos in shock. "Well, I must say, this young lady is certainly bringing out the best qualities in you, Adam. That's a good thing to know. Come on, Jessica, let me show you one of my favorite hobbies, spending money. Ta-ta, boys. See you later."

By the time Amanda and Jessica returned, they were talking like the best of friends. Amanda had taken to calling her 'Jess', and the others had followed suit. Dinner that night was a celebration, and Jess beamed like a princess being paid homage by her subjects.

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Over the next several weeks, the girl bloomed under the loving she received from her new 'family.' Her nightmares had diminished, and her face started to fill out as she slowly gained much-needed weight onto her thin frame. And although the others came close to spoiling her with the things they bought, she never let them go too far, showing a maturity beyond her years. She seemed content with simple things, and both Duncan and Methos knew that she needed their affection, more than their gifts. And this, they gave unconditionally.

All four immortals took to showing her the ropes when it came to sword-fighting. She learned fast, and had a speed and agility that would serve her well. Then something happened to shattered the young girl's happiness.

Running into the dojo where Duncan and Richie were sparring, she yelled, "Uncle Duncan, Uncle Duncan." Tears were running down her face, and she was breathing hard, holding her side, having gotten a stitch in it from running so hard.

Duncan picked her up in his arms, and looked to see who was after her. Richie already had his sword up. But no one appeared. Looking down at the girl, he tried to get her to stop sobbing, and tell him what was going on. "Shh, lass, calm down. What's wrong?"

"A-a-amanda. She's dead!" She grabbed his neck and hugged him tight.

"Jess, what do you mean? Where is Amanda, what happened?"

Still sniffling, she told him that she and Amanda had been coming home through the park, when a man approached, pulled out a gun, and demanded money. Amanda had pushed Jess behind her, and pulled out her wallet. She handed it to the man, and he pointed the gun and shot her!

"He just shot her, Uncle Duncan. And he tried to shoot me, but Amanda told me to run as fast as I could, so I did. I didn't know what else to do, so I just ran home. I'm sorry, Uncle Duncan. I was so scared. I just left her there. She's dead, and it's all my fault!" She burst into tears, sobbing into Duncan's neck.

Duncan handed the girl to Richie, telling him he'd be back soon. Richie headed towards the lift to take Jess up into the loft.

Duncan returned twenty minutes later, with Amanda's lifeless body in his arms. Putting her down gently on the bed in his loft, he called Methos and Joe, and told them what happened. Jess needed to be told about immortals tonight, and Duncan wanted all of them there to answer her questions. Jess had finally fallen asleep in Richie's arms, exhausted from the events that had taken place. Amanda still hadn't recovered, and Duncan figured that Jess needed to be told before that happened.

Richie gently shook Jess until she woke up. Seeing Methos, she held out her arms to him, and he gathered her into a hug. Sitting down on the couch with her still in his lap, he brushed the tears away from her face. "There, there, Jess, it's okay. It's allright. Stop the tears now, we have something we need to tell you."

Although it was difficult to form the words to tell Jess about immortals, and about the Game, she understood what they were trying to say with easy acceptance. Looking up at Duncan, her eyes still bright with unshed tears, she asked, "Does that mean Amanda's not dead?"

He nodded. "That's right, lass. She'll be awake in no time. She's going to be just fine." This started Jess' tears all over again, but this time from relief. Once they had answered all her questions as best they could, without telling her about her own future, she quietly drifted off to sleep, this time in Methos' arms. It wasn't long after that when Amanda recovered. Richie, Methos and Duncan felt the stirring of her quickening, and knew she had come back. With her return to life, her first thoughts were of Jess.

"Duncan," she yelled from the bedroom, "Oh, God, Duncan." She ran into the living room, where the men where gathered, and spied Jess stirring in Methos' arms. When Jess saw her, she held out her arms to Amanda. Rushing over to the couch, Amanda grabbed the girl and hugged her close. "Thank God, you're all right. I wasn't sure you had gotten away. Thank God." Still hugging the girl, she started to rock her. "I am so glad you're all right. I was so scared."

The four men watching this were amazed. They'd never seen Amanda act like this. She was normally as far from maternal as a person could get. But she kept running her gaze over Jess' face, checking her over, and asking her if she was hurt. It took several minutes before she thought about the fact the Jess wasn't acting afraid to have seen her come back from the 'dead.' Lifting her eyes to Duncan, she saw him nod, and knew that the men had told Jess about immortals and the Game.

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Over the next few months, things settled into a routine for the group. At least, as routine as can be for two males trying to raise one teenage girl. Even with more than 5,000 years of experience between them, neither Methos or Mac was quite prepared to discuss sex with Jess. Even after living on the streets, she still had questions. Both men stammered and stuttered, trying to explain. It was Amanda that finally took pity on them, and gave Jess "The Talk." Neither man was sure exactly what Amanda said, but it was two days before Jess stopped laughing. Duncan could only hope Amanda had given her the PG-rated version, and hadn't used him as an example.

Methos' forger friend, Benny, hand-delivered guardianship papers and school transcripts for one Jessica Pierson MacLeod. It was decided that Jess would live with "Uncle Adam", since Duncan seemed to be attracting so many headhunters lately. But she spent equal amounts of her time between both Methos and Duncan, as well as with Joe, and,

when they were in town, Richie and Amanda. Jess settled into high school with ease, having for the first time, a safe, secure family to rely on. She made friends easily, and the smiles that graced her face more and more often lifted the spirits of everyone around her.

The next few years saw changes in everyone's life as Jess grew from a high-spirited adolescent, into a high-spirited young woman. When Jess turned 15, there was a great debate on whose duty it was to teach her to drive. Duncan wouldn't risk his precious Thunderbird, and Methos claimed he was not a good enough driver to teach anyone. So the honor fell to Joe, in an old klunker that Richie had picked up to work on in his spare time. By the time Joe was finished, not only did Jess know how to handle a car, but also how to handle any guy that got ideas about going into the backseat of one.

Still, everyone seemed content with the way things were. Jess kept up her grades, excelling in History and Science, although some arguments occurred about who should get credit for that. She developed a fondness for both opera music, and Queen's greatest hits, making both her uncles shake their heads in wonder. Thanks to Richie, she could strip a carburetor and tune-up an engine. Joe taught her how to play guitar, and to make a mean margarita. Amanda, being Amanda, taught her all about gems, although Jess did seem content with looking, not stealing. Duncan breathed a small sigh of relief at that. And Methos taught her a few phrases in several dead languages, although he didn't bother to let either Jess or Duncan know the phrases were actually curses bad enough to make an ancient sailor blush.

They saw Jess through her first day of high school, her first crush, her first traffic ticket, a broken arm, and several illnesses, including a bout with chicken pox that made them all itch just looking at her. They cheered her on when she was inducted into the National Honor Society, had the lead in the fall play, and won the District Championship in fencing. But there was one milestone in Jess' life that _NOBODY_ wanted to miss-her first date.

The captain of the football team, Danny Ruther, had asked Jess out to the Fall Dance. Amanda helped her shop for a dress, and was helping her get ready before her date arrived. But the moment the bell rang, Amanda headed for the living room. She didn't want to miss one second of _this_ scene.

Joe opened the door, and Danny came in, brash and confident as only a high school star athlete can be. He held out his hand to Joe, practically yanking his arm out of the socket when he shook his hand. But his smile faltered slightly when he turned to the other men, each of whom had a sword he was either sharpening or polishing. Danny swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"Good evening" he squeaked. He coughed, and tried again. "Good evening, sirs. I'm Danny, uh, Danny..."

"Ruther." Amanda chimed in.

"Yeah, Ruther." He smiled brilliantly at Amanda, clearly feeling much more at ease at having a woman around to charm. She graced him with a smile, and waited for Duncan and Methos to begin. Amanda had a feeling that they were going to make the Spanish Inquisition look like a cakewalk.

"I'm Jess' uncle, Duncan MacLeod. This is Richie, her cousin, and her Uncle Adam." Both men looked up from the swords in front of them, and nodded, but neither man smiled. Duncan continued, his own sword in his hand. "The man at the door is Joe Dawson, and this," he pulled Amanda close and tucked an arm around her waist, "is Amanda." His look clearly stated what he thought of Danny's charms.

"So," Richie started, "are you going straight to the dance?"

"No, we're meeting a few other couples at the pizza parlor first."

"Which pizza parlor would that be?" Methos inquired.

"The one on 17th St. Tony's Pizzeria."

"And how long do you plan to be there, before you head for the dance?" Joe asked.

"Um, about an hour, I guess. Then we'll head straight to the dance."

"You do have a full tank of gas, right? And you're car is in working order?" Richie knew all the moves, and this guy wasn't getting away with anything.

"Yeah, filled it up myself. And the car is brand new, a gift from my parents. It won't break down." Danny felt like he was in one of stupid police shows, where the cops fired questions at the bad guy to trip him up. Sheesh, these guys were protective.

Unsure of what other questions to ask, things got silent for a few minutes. Everyone figeted around. Finally, Amanda went to do a quick check on Jess, to see if she was ready yet. She came down a minute later, and said, "Five more minutes." Again it got quiet. Finally, Methos couldn't stand it anymore. Besides, he had a warning to deliver, and wanted to make sure Danny understood it.

"So, Danny, Jess says you play football. Is that right?" Methos asked, still polishing the blade of the sword. Richie just glared at the boy. He hadn't liked the football players when he was in school, and nothing he'd seen of this guy had altered his feelings.

"Yeah. I'm the quarterback on the varsity team. You ever play?"

"No," Methos said, "I've never been very athletic."

"Not everyone is," Danny said, his confidence returning when talk turned to his true love, football. "I've been playing ever since I can remember. Got my first football for my third birthday. Dad says you gotta start early, if you want to get anywhere. But, I guess some people just don't have the skills, no matter how hard they try." He knew he was babbling, but he was nervous. Usually, his date's fathers were overjoyed that he was taking their daughters out. They always wanted to talk football, treating him like a conquering hero. These guys didn't seem like they even understood the game, much less enjoyed it.

"I don't believe it was lack of skill, more a lack of ambition. I always had my nose stuck in some book." He looked down at the sword in his hands, seeming to concentrate on a smudge he'd neglected. "As a matter of fact, I came across an ancient text recently that was very fascinating. Would you like to hear about it?"

"Uh, sure, why not." Danny said, not really caring what some dusty old book said, but willing to humor a guy with a sword. He didn't see Amanda put her hand over her mouth, or see Joe grinning behind his back. Even Richie looked like he might crack a smile. Only Danny was ignorant of where this was leading.

"Do you know that the people that first populated the North American continent were very tight-knit? What clan you belonged to was one of the first questions asked of a stranger. Nothing was more important than family."

"Is that so?" Danny asked, his voice sounding like he'd heard this in a thousand history classes.

"Yes, that's so. Most clans were matriarcal. Everything was inherited through the women. Even the leadership was passed down from mother to daughter. The women were respected as the leaders of their families." He looked up. Danny nodded, trying to look interested, and failing. Methos smiled evilly. "Well, then you can guess how angry the clan would get if some man fooled around with a woman who wasn't his wife."

"I guess so."

Methos went back to polishing the gleaming blade of his sword. "Well, the text I found mentioned that a man from a neighboring village got a little too friendly with the leader's granddaughter during a celebration for the summer solstice. Put his hands where they shouldn't have been, if you know what I mean. Anyway, when the grandmother found out, she sent her warriors after the man. A trial was held, and he was found guilty by the village elders. As leader, the grandmother had to impose a sentence, one strong enough to remind everyone how terrible his crime was." Methos paused. "So you know what she did?"

Danny was silent, the look on his face reminiscent of someone who bit into an apple and found half a worm. Richie glanced at Methos, waiting for him to finish the "story" he was relating.

"She had him set out naked in the center of the village, for all to see. And her War Chief would take his war club, and with a mighty blow, he would..." Methos trailed off. In the silence, the immortals and Joe could hear Danny swallow in nervousness. Methos bowed to Amanda, his face expressionless, but she could see his eyes dancing with a mixture of humor and determination. "Forgive me," he continued, "I forgot there was a lady present. I really don't want to go into graphic detail and offend her. Let's just say that once it was over, everyone was certain the man wouldn't repeat his crime. After all, he was missing a few...essential...body parts." With this, Methos sprawled back onto the couch, laying the sword across his lap, and stared right at Danny, his mouth set into a grim line. Danny ran a finger nervously along his collar, pulling at it in an effort to get oxygen to his lungs.

They all seemed startled when the door to Jess' bedroom opened, and she stepped out, looking more grown-up than they'd ever seen her before. It took all of Duncan's willpower not to punch Danny in the nose, and lock Jess in her room for the next 10 years. He was torn between pride that she was turning into such a lovely young lady, and helplessness that his "little girl" was growing up. Methos was wearing a similar expression.

In an emerald green dress that flared around her legs when she walked, Jess moved into the room. Her gaze took in Danny's panicked expression, and the swords laid out, as if in preparation for a battle. Jess caught Amanda's eyes, and fought to stifle a grin. Looked like her uncles where going to demand that her date behave himself. If Joe and Amanda hadn't warned her about this beforehand, she'd have been mad as a wet hornet. But she couldn't find it in her heart to be mad at the two men who had given her nothing but a safe, secure home, filled with joy and laughter.

When Danny presented her corsage to her, it dawned on him that he would need to pin it to her dress. His gaze bounced back and forth from the corsage, to Jess, to the swords still in plain sight. Amanda finally had to take matters into her own hands, and took the corsage out of his hand, and pinned it to Jess' dress herself. She whispered in Jess' ear, and the girl chuckled softly.

Once the corsage was on, Danny and Jess moved towards the door, when Richie's voice stopped them. "What time does the dance end, Jess?"

"About 11."

Duncan and Methos exchanged a glance. "Be back here by 11:30.." Duncan trailed off when Amanda squeezed his arm warningly. He glanced down at her and she just raised her eyebrows. "Okay, maybe time for a soda afterwards. Say 12:30? Does that sound good to you, Adam?"

Methos didn't look happy, but he grudgingly gave in. "All right, 12:30. But be on time."

As soon as the door closed behind the pair, and Joe was certain they were a reasonable distance away, he busted out laughing, unable to contain himself any longer. Tears were rolling down his face, as he thought about the scare Methos had put into the boy with his story. Amanda was laughing, too, thinking how glad she was for waterproof mascara. But neither Duncan or Methos found the situation humorous. Duncan could be heard murmuring under his breath about removing a few body parts himself, if the boy even _thought_ about trying anything. Richie just glared at the door the pair walked through, as if he could see if Danny were to get out of line. This only made Joe and Amanda laugh harder.

It was a long night for both Methos and Duncan, although Joe and Amanda did their best to distract the men. But when the phone range at midnight, everyone seemed reluctant to answer it. Finally, Duncan

picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Uncle Duncan, it's me. I need you to come get me."

Duncan's hand tightened on the receiver. "Jess, where are you? What's happened?"

"I'm at the hospital. I'M FINE, so don't worry. Just come down and pick me up, please."

"We'll be right there." Duncan hung up the phone. "Jess is at the hospital, she's fine, but wants us to pick her up. Let's go." They all trouped out the door.

When they arrived at the hospital, they found Jess easily, as she was standing just inside the doors to the emergency room. Methos rushed over, followed closely by the others. Methos hugged her, then felt Duncan pull her out of his arms and into his own. "What's happened?" "What's going on?" "Are you allright?" The questions were coming at

Jess so quick, she didn't have time to answer any of them. Finally she held up her hands, and the group was instantly quiet.

She took a deep breath. "I'm okay. We're not here because of me. Danny is the one the doctors are checking." The disgusted look on her face was proof that Danny had done something to upset her.

"I knew it!" Richie exclaimed, "I knew that guy was trouble. What did he do? Where's he at? I'm gonna kill him."

Jess restrained him. "You'll do no such thing. Now, calm down."

"What happened, lass?" Duncan asked, in as close to a normal tone of voice as he could manage.

"Danny decided to try out for the wrestling team. I wasn't in the mood to 'practice', and I let him know it."

Joe snorted, as he remembered Richie's boxing lessons. "How bad's he hurt, sweetie?"

"A busted nose, a fat lip, and from what the doctors say, he'll be sporting one hell of a black eye by tomorrow." Jess stated matter-of-factly, her smile one of self-satisfaction.

"I'm gonna kill him." Richie repeated.

"You're not going to touch him, do you hear me?"

Methos couldn't believe his ears. "Jess, why are you defending him?"

Jess crossed her arms over her chest, indignant. "Defending him, hell! Several people saw me punch the idiot. I don't want him to have the excuse that my uncles beat him up. I want to make sure everyone knows that _I'm_ the one that bruised that pretty face of his. Understand?"

Methos and Duncan grinned for the first time that night. They looked at each other and shrugged, then exclaimed, "That's our girl."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2-The Prophecy

Methos lifted his head up from the paper he was reading, feeling the buzz of an approaching immortal. He figured it had to be Duncan or Amanda, knowing they were both due to come over today. He got up to get the door before they knocked, but it was too late.

"Adam! Jess!" Duncan shouted, while pounding loudly on the door.

Methos opened up, ushering in MacLeod and Amanda. "Gods, MacLeod, keep it down. We know you're here. Hell, the Canadians know you're here, for God's sake. Now, shh, Jess is still sleeping."

Duncan looked at Jess' closed bedroom door, then put down the wrapped gift he was carrying. He headed to Jess' door, knocking, then opening it wide. Light spilled into the room, and onto the face of the bed's occupant. She opened her eyes, quickly shut them again, and groaned. She fumbled around for the covers, pulling them up over her head to block out the light.

Duncan went over to sit on the side of the bed. "Jess, honey, its Duncan. Rise and shine, beautiful."

The girl under the covers mumbled something, but Duncan was unable to make it out. "What was that, Jess? I couldn't hear you."

Pulling the covers down off her face, but keeping her eyes tightly closed, she whispered, "Please go away and let me die in peace." Then the covers went back up to cover her face once more.

Duncan was concerned. "Jess, honey, what's wrong? Should we call the doctor?" Duncan could hear Amanda and Methos snickering quietly in the living room. Stalking over to the doorway, he said, "I don't see what is so damned funny. Jess is ill, and you two stand there laughing like a pack of hyenas."

This only made the two of them laugh harder. Finally, Amanda managed to croak, "Duncan, how long has it been since you've been on a bender? Jess isn't ill, she hung over." She laughed again as Duncan whirled around to the bed, studying the lump under the covers. He turned furiously on Methos.

"You let her get drunk last night? She's only 18, how could you let her get drunk?"

Methos took offense. "I didn't _let_ her do anything, MacLeod. She went to a graduation party last night. You had to expect that they were going to be drinking. At least the parents hosting the party were overseeing everything, and made sure no one drove home."

"I swear, you haven't..."

Both men stopped as the figure on the bed moaned in pain. Pulling the covers down once more, Jess begged, "Please, can't the two of you argue somewhere I can't hear you, like Siberia."

Duncan and Methos both looked chastised. "Sorry, Jess," Duncan said.

"Me, too, Jess. But it is time to start thinking about getting up. You've got people coming over to see you. We can't celebrate your graduation unless you're there. Come on, now, a hot shower will make you fee much better."

Slowly, Jess started to rise, but it was obvious that she had a doozy of a hangover. Grabbing her head with both hands, she moaned. "What is that awful racket? It sounds like a herd of elephants."

Methos tried to keep a straight face, as he watched Jess' cat pad softly across the carpet. "It's the cat, Jess."

"Well, tell him to stop making so much noise. My head is killing me."

Methos nodded, and picked up the cat. He dare not risk glancing at Amanda, knowing he'd bust out laughing at the slightest hint of a smile on her face. All three immortals retreated into the living room, and let Jess have some privacy. Duncan picked up his argument where he had left off.

"Methos, how could you let her go to a party where you knew there was going to be alcohol? Anything could have happened."

"Look, MacLeod, _you_ didn't seem to have a problem with her going to this party when she asked us last week. Besides, I talked to the Bartons, the parents hosting the party. They assured me that none of the kids would be driving home. I figured it was better that I knew where she was going to be, and that there were responsible adults around to supervise. Anyway, you agreed with me when I mentioned it to you last week!"

"I just think she's a little young to start drinking."

Amanda couldn't stay silent any longer. "Duncan, you're overreacting. I don't think this is going to become a habit for Jess. It was a special occasion. How many times is she going to celebrate graduating from high school? And being named class valedictorian, besides. Have a little faith, Duncan. You two have done a wonderful job of raising her. She's a level-headed and intelligent girl. The fact that she chose to attend a party where the parents were going to be available proves that. Maybe she chose to attend that particular party for a reason, so she could cut loose a little, without having to worry about something happening. Now, calm down, and stop being so hard on Methos."

Duncan had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "You're right, Amanda. Methos, I'm sorry. I don't know why I flew off the handle like that. It just never occurred to me that there would be drinking at the party. But I'm glad you were on top of things, talking to the parents and all. You'd think after all these years, I'd know you wouldn't let Jess get into something she couldn't handle, anymore than I would."

"Apology accepted, MacLeod. Believe me, I worry about her all the time, too. Especially knowing that she's going to be heading off to college, soon. Damn, I feel like I'm losing my little girl."

Amanda, having just flown in from London, hadn't heard all the news. "So, has she chosen a college, yet?"

Duncan smiled like a proud parent. "She's decided to attend Seacouver University. She got a full scholarship."

"She hasn't decided what she's going to major in, though." Methos added. "But the first year is all required courses, anyway. She won't have to decide on a major until her sophomore year." Their conversation was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Methos opened it to admit Joe Dawson. He said hello to Methos and Duncan, then turned to give Amanda a hug.

"How was your flight?"

"Bumpy, but we made it. How are you, Joe?"

"Doing fine, Amanda. It's good to see you again. Hey, Mac, did you read this morning's paper yet?"

"No. Why?"

"Seems some archaeologists in Skye are having a field day. They're billing it as the discovery of the century." He handed part of a newspaper to Duncan. "Check it out."

Duncan turned to the article Joe was referring to, reading it out loud to Methos and Amanda. "Hmm. Workers in Skye, digging a house foundation, found an ancient tablet bearing Gaelic markings. Though they are still trying to decipher parts of it, archaeologists say it seems to be a prophecy about a savior child." He looked at the grainy picture of the tablet, but was unable to make out much. Methos pointed to the man standing next to the tablet.

"That's Dr. Elias Kincaid."

"Do you know him?" Duncan asked.

"Only by reputation. The man's brilliant, though. If anyone can decipher that tablet, it will be him. Interesting. I sure would be curious to know exactly what the tablet says." He headed into the kitchen as the door to Jess' bedroom opened. Jess stepped out, walking carefully. When Methos handed her a glass of orange juice, she sniffed it suspiciously.

"What's in here? You didn't put something weird in it, did you? Like a raw egg or tabasco sauce?" She accepted the aspirin that was handed to her with a grateful nod.

"No raw egg, no tabasco sauce. Just orange juice and eye of newt."

Jess had the glass halfway to her lips, but stopped with Methos' pronouncement. "Please, tell me you're kidding."

"I'm kidding."

"Well, stop. I don't think I can handle it this morning."

Amanda came over and put an arm around Jess' shoulders, guiding her over to the couch. "Jess, I am so sorry I missed your speech yesterday. But Duncan assures me that he taped it, so I can watch it later. How does it feel to be named valedictorian?"

"Strange. I was so nervous about making that speech."

"Didn't show, though, did it, Jess." Duncan said smugly.

"Had the entire crowd on their feet," Methos claimed.

Amanda just shook her head at the two men. It was so funny to see them acting like strutting peacocks. But gazing at Jess, she knew they had a right to be proud. She was a daughter any one could be proud of. And these two immortals were.

"Well," she said, "let's get a move on, shall we. We have a graduation to celebrate, after all."

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It was early the next morning when Jess came out of her room. Methos looked up from the kitchen where he was toasting a bagel. "Morning, Jess. Like a bagel?"

"Please." They worked in silence, Jess getting plates out of the cupboard, and filling glasses with orange juice. Methos put butter on the bagels, and the headed to the table. They spent the time in silence, both reading the paper.

"So, Jess," Methos finally asked, "do you have any plans for today?"

She shook her head. "No, I thought I'd just hang around here and do some reading. Why?"

"Because I have one more gift for you."

Jess protested. "Adam, you and Duncan already gave me your gift, the trip to Paris."

"I know, and we're going to enjoy showing you around the city, but this gift is personal, and it's something I've wanted to do for awhile now."

"Okay." Jess said, as she sat down on the couch. She looked at Methos as he handed her an envelope. Opening it, she pulled out a single piece of paper. On it was written one word. She looked up at him in question.

"I told you when you first came to know about immortals that someday, when the time was right, I would tell you my real name. That's it."

She looked at the card again, tracing the name with her finger. "Methos. Did I pronounce it right?" She looked at him.

"Yes." Methos took a deep breath. "There's more to this gift, Jess. You already know much about Duncan's life and Amanda's. So I'm ready to tell you about mine. Any questions you have, I'll answer, as truthfully as I can. But..." he hesitated.

"But what? Adam...Methos, what is it?"

"I'm...I'm scared, Jess. There are things I've done in my past, things that sicken me now. I...don't want you to think badly of me."

Jess smiled. "How could I ever think badly of you? You took me in when I had no one to turn to. You raised me as your own daughter, taken care of me for the last five years. Whatever you have to tell me, however I might react to your past, it won't change my love for you now."

Methos nodded, a weight lifting off his shoulders. "So, where do I start?"

"How about at the beginning." Jess said. And he did.

It was close to midnight before Jess' questions finally stopped. Methos' voice was hoarse from all the talking he'd done. Jess knew all about him now, She wasn't thrilled about some of the things he had told her, but Jess, better than anyone, knew he had changed. Methos even told her about the mess with Cassandra and Bordeaux. Jess was gratified to know that Duncan hadn't allowed the woman to take Methos' head. And it did explain some of the things that had passed between the two men over the years. Finally, Jess took pity on Methos, and decided that she'd heard enough for one night. She got up from the couch and walked over to give Methos a hug.

"I promise I won't ever betray your trust in me. Thank you for this gift. It means a lot to me. Almost as much as letting me into your life in the first place."

Methos returned the hug. "Oh, Jess, that was the best thing I've ever done. I'm so proud of you. Now, it's past your bedtime, young lady. Off with you."

Jess giggled. "Yes, father. Night."

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Two weeks later, Joe showed up at Methos' apartment.

"Hey, Joe. Want a beer?" Methos asked the Watcher.

"No, thanks. I just came by to drop something off." He handed Methos the large manila envelope he was carrying. Methos opened it and pulled out several pictures, and a typed sheet of paper, studying them for a minute. He looked at Joe.

"How did you get these?"

"One of the project's backers is an old army buddy of mine from 'Nam. I called in a favor."

Methos looked at the pictures again, then at the paper. Joe watched him.

"Think you can decipher it?"

"May take me a while. My Gaelic's a little rusty. What does your friend say? Are they any closer to translating it all?"

"He didn't say, and I didn't want to press. Figured I should be happy just to get the pictures. I gotta go. See you at the bar later?"

"Yeah," Methos said, already distracted. He didn't even hear the door close behind the man. He was intent on the paper. Typed on it was the message they had found on the tablet.

_i àil thig as an dorchadas_

_àm leanabh de dàn_

_beir de dithis chaoidh òg athair _

_aon de an sean dòigh _

_aon de Gaidhealach fuil _

_a bàs àil thoir beatha nuadh _

_a cridhe àil cum sìth ann a saoghal_

He grabbed a beer out of the fridge, then headed over to his desk. This was going to take some time.

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Joe was standing behind the bar, talking to Duncan, when Methos came in that night. The man looked slightly bemused. He took the stool next to Duncan.

"How's your Gaelic, MacLeod?"

"Been a while since I spoke it. Why?"

Methos handed him the paper. "Did Joe mention that he was able to get a copy of the writing on the tablet they found in Skye? He dropped it off today. I think I've gotten most of it, but I want to know what you think."

Duncan studied the sheet, then shook his head. "It's different from what I learned as a child. How close have you gotten?"

"Pretty damn close, I think. Here." He handed Duncan a second sheet of paper. This one had the same lines, but beside them, Methos had written what he thought the translation was. Duncan read the translation, then stared at Methos in shock. The old man just nodded.

"Sound like anybody we know?"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it." Duncan said woodenly.

"What! Wouldn't have believed what? Would one of you tell me what's going on." Methos didn't say anything, just passed the sheet over to Joe. The man read silently, his eyes getting wider with every line. He felt like he'd just been run over by a truck. "That's incredible. What do you think it means, Methos?"

"I don't know, Joe. Prophecies are funny things, they can be taken several different ways. Only time will tell if they're proven right. Maybe...maybe she's destined to win the prize." He smiled. "That wouldn't be such a bad thing. She may have a soft heart, but she also has a will of iron. If she won the Game, there is no telling the good she could do."

"And the best of both of you would live on."

"What do you mean, Joe?"

"Think about it Duncan. To the world, you may be her uncles, but in reality, you two are her fathers, her sires. And she has definitely acquired qualities from both of you. And the line about 'death bringing life anew' could mean her mortal death. Her becoming an immortal."

"And the last line," Duncan asked. "What does that mean?"

"Like Methos said, it could be taken many different ways. All we can do is wait and see."

"And until then, we keep it to ourselves. Like we have the fact of her immortality. We don't tell her until she has a need to know." The other men agreed. But they all continued to stare at the paper that was lying on the bar.

_i àil thig as an dorchadas_ - **she will come from the darkness**

_àm leanabh de dàn_ - **this child of fate**

_beir de dithis chaoidh òg athair_ - **born of two ageless sires**

_aon de an sean dòigh_ - **one of the ancient ways**

_aon de Gaidhealach fuil_ - **one of Highland blood**

_a bàs àil thoir beatha nuadh_ - **her death will bring life anew**

_a cridhe àil cum sìth ann a saoghal_ - **her heart will keep peace in her world**


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3-Beyond Death

Methos looked around the small apartment, thinking how strange it was to be living by himself again. He didn't think living with Jess for ten short years would make such a difference to someone that had seen 5,000 of them. But he still felt off-kilter, even six months after Jess had moved out and gotten her own place.

It wasn't like she'd gone halfway across the country, either. She just lived a few blocks away. He still saw her as often as ever, though her schedule was busy with her final year of college. But at age twenty-three, she was well on her way to being the independent, intelligent woman he'd hoped she'd become all those years ago, when he and Duncan had first made the decision to 'adopt' her.

He'd grumbled and groaned the entire time she lived with him, about stumbling over her toys and clothes. Missing them now seemed ridiculous, but the place seemed so empty with just his belongings. He chuckled to himself. This must be what was known as the empty-nest syndrome. Gods, if Darius could only see him now, what would the monk have thought? Laughter bubbled up once more. Probably that it was about time Methos started going through things that most mortals took in stride every day of their lives.

Getting up from the couch, Methos headed into the kitchen to get dinner started. Joe and Duncan would be here soon, to discuss plans for Jess' graduation present. And Joe could get downright cranky if he had to wait long for dinner.

"Oh, come on, guys," Joe said more than two hours later. He accepted the fresh beer Methos handed him. "We've been here all night, and all we've done is reminisce about Jess' growing-up years. We haven't made any decisions about what to do for her."

"Well, do you have any ideas, Joe?"

"How about this? We invite her down to the bar, and let _her _plan the evening. Anything she wants to do, we go along with."

Duncan smiled. "Even if she wants to take us to a punk-rock concert?"

"If that's what she wants, that's what she'll get. I'm willing to sacrifice for her, Mac. Are you?"

"Yeah. After all, MacLeod, you're the one who believes that anything other than opera is just noise."

"That stuff you've got Jess listening to _is_ noise. Horrible noise, at that."

"If you say so. But are we agreed? We let Jess plan the evening?"

"Agreed," Duncan said.

Methos was on his way to Joe's a few nights later, walking through one of the alleys he used as a shortcut, when he felt the buzz. He slowed, looking around, then ducked into some shadows created by a malfunctioning street lamp. Slowly, he pulled his sword out from his coat. It couldn't be Duncan, he lived on the other side of Joe's, and didn't usually prowl around alleys, anyway. Richie, maybe? Or a hunter. Damn, he hated this.

"You can't hide in the shadows forever, Methos," a voice said in the darkness. Methos shivered. That husky voice had haunted him through three thousand years worth of nightmares. Cassandra. He figured that he hadn't seen the last of her, despite MacLeod's plea.

He'd known she wouldn't let it end like it did in Bordeaux. Cassandra never forgot anything, including a wrong done her. He was tired of running. It was time to face his demons, both real and imagined. One way or another, it ended here, tonight. He came into the light, facing Cassandra.

"Well, well, Cassandra. Nice night for stargazing, isn't it?"

"The only gazing I want to do is on your headless body. I've been waiting for this for centuries. I hope you've said your good-byes, Methos, because after tonight, the Horsemen will finally be dead."

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic, Cassandra. The horsemen have _been_ dead for thousands of years, except in your own mind. Are you going to talk me to death, or are you going to fight?"

With a cry, Cassandra went on the attack, swinging her blade at him with a strength born of hatred and rage. The battle seemed to go on forever. Sparks were flying whenever the swords clashed. Methos kept blocking every move Cassandra made, but did not go on the offensive. They were evenly matched, Cassandra's hatred making up what she lacked in strength.

Suddenly, she came over with a high stroke and Methos raised his sword to counter it. The breath was driven out of him by the dagger Cassandra had shoved into his stomach.

"Recognize that move, Methos?" she hissed viciously. "You should. I learned it by watching you!"

Methos stumbled back from her, dropping his sword. Then his legs gave way beneath him. He could feel the life pouring out of his body. He knew he was seconds away from the stroke that would end his existence. Cassandra grabbed the hilt of the dagger and twisted it, then yanked it out. She watched with satisfaction as Methos fell onto the ground.

"Time to die, Methos. Have fun in hell."

She was just about to drop the dagger in her left hand in order to raise the sword for the final blow. But a sudden scream pierced the darkness, distracting her.

"NO!"

Cassandra heard footsteps running in her direction, and she instinctively turned towards them. A dark-haired woman loomed out of the darkness, intent on forcibly stopping what was happening. Blind to the dagger that Cassandra held, now forgotten, in her left hand, the woman rushed Cassandra, pushing her several feet back from her victim. Cassandra was still trying to regain her balance, when the woman's eyes suddenly went wide, filling their blue depths with pain and fear. The woman staggered back, and Cassandra felt the dagger's hilt slip from her grasp. As she felt the wet stickiness on her hand, she realized what had happened. Dear God, Cassandra thought, I've killed an innocent.

Cassandra was in shock, kneeling over the dying woman, unable to believe what had occurred. Cassandra tried to staunch the flow of blood, but there was so much. She was too stunned to realize what the faint sounds behind her meant.

Methos drew in a deep breath as he returned to life, unable to believe that Cassandra hadn't taken his head. He saw her a few feet away, kneeling with her back to him. Not taking any chances, he reached for his own sword, and stood up before Cassandra could turn around. But upon standing, he saw a sight that made him wish he _had_ died.

"JESS!" His agonized cry was torn from the very depths of his soul. He shoved Cassandra away, kneeling down beside his little girl, watching the life fading from her eyes. He shook his head in mute denial, tears running unchecked down his face, as her eyes closed. When he glanced down to see the dagger that was still embedded in her, he turned his murderous gaze on Cassandra.

"You bitch!" he spat, anger and grief evident in his voice. Picking up his sword, he got to his feet. "I was prepared for death, Cassandra, maybe I even deserved it. But she didn't," he screamed, pointing to Jess' body. "She's never done a damn thing to you. Now you've pulled her into the Game before her time." He advanced on Cassandra, pushing her closer and closer to the wall behind her. "Your grudge was against me Cassandra. Me! Not her."

"No, it...it was an accident." Cassandra's voice was filled with pain. She kept retreating, edging further away, but Methos was advancing on her, full of fury and rage. She felt the wall of the building at her back, and knew she was trapped. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. She...she just ran...the knife. I didn't mean it." She fell to her knees, bowing her head in sorrow. "Dear God, I didn't mean it."

Methos raised his sword to put an end to this, when the sound of approaching sirens finally penetrated his anger. Jess. He had to get Jess out of here.

He placed his blade against Cassandra's neck, watching her wince as she braced for the blow. "I have to take care of her. But the next time we meet, Cassandra," Methos vowed, "only one of us will walk away." He put away his sword, pulled the knife out of Jess' stomach, and picked up her lifeless body. He walked away without sparing another glance back into the alley.

When he arrived home, he put Jess on the bed. He picked up the phone and called the bar. Mike, Joe's assistant, answered.

"Joe's Place."

"Mike, it's Adam Pierson. I need to speak to Joe, or Duncan, if he's there."

"Sure thing, Adam. Hold on." Methos heard Mike calling out, then Duncan got on the phone.

"If you're running late, Adam, don't worry. Jess isn't here either," Duncan said, his voice full of laughter.

"I know she's not," he growled. "Because she's here with me, at my place. You'd better get over here, Highlander. We have a problem." He hung up the phone, not caring what MacLeod thought. Time enough to explain to him later. He wanted to get Jess cleaned up.

By the time Duncan and Joe were knocking on the door, Methos had gotten Jess partially cleaned up. She hadn't revived yet, though Methos wasn't surprised at that. Returning from your mortal death always seemed to take a little longer. Methos opened the door, his anger communicating more than words that something bad had happened.

"Okay, what's the problem?" Duncan asked.

"See for yourself. Jess is in my room."

Duncan went to the door and stopped short when he spotted Jess. Her shirt had been moved out of the way so Methos could clean the wound, but it was apparent that she had sustained a fatal injury. Duncan leaned back against the door, and Joe was cursing under his breath.

Duncan turned towards Methos, his voice strained with fury, as Methos' had been earlier. "Who's responsible, Methos? I'll kill them."

"Cassandra."

"What?" Duncan shook his head. "No. Methos, that's not possible. Cassandra wouldn't..."

"I saw it with my own eyes, MacLeod. She used the same dagger on Jess that she had used on me not five minutes before. When are you going to understand that Cassandra doesn't care who else has to die, as long as she gets her revenge. Jess saved my life, but at what price? Cassandra's gone too far this time." He reached for his coat, putting it on and making sure his sword was within easy reach.

"Methos, where are you going?" Duncan asked.

"I'm going to find Cassandra. She's not going to get away with this. This has bloody well gone on long enough." He started out the door, Duncan right behind him, trying to calm Methos down.

Joe was left standing in the apartment, the door wide open. "Uh, guys..." But they were already out of earshot. Well, hell, Joe thought. This was not good. Not only had a rift reopened in the friendship between the two immortals, but in their anger, they had totally forgotten about the young woman in the other room. Joe walked in and pulled a sheet over Jess, preserving her modesty. All he could do was wait until they came back, or she revived. Definitely not good.

Joe's back was starting to ache from sitting so long, when Jess finally took a deep breath, and started to come back. She rolled onto her side, and started coughing. A couple of minutes later, she finally opened her eyes, looking around wildly.

"What...where...Joe." She put a hand to her stomach, feeling for a wound that was no longer there. She looked at Joe, confusion in her eyes. "How...how did I get here? I don't understand. Adam...Methos. Oh, God, Joe, she was about to take his head." Jess scrambled up off the bed, paying no attention that her bloody shirt was half-off and her only covering was her bra. Joe stiffly got to his feet.

"Hey, it's okay. He's all right. He brought you back here."

"Where is he? How...my wound. I thought..."

"You thought right, sweetie." Damn, but there was no easy way to say this. "You did get stabbed, Jess. Fatally."

"Then...how? Joe, what's happening?" She grabbed Joe's arm, almost yanking it out of its socket. Her eyes filled up with tears, as she fought the confusion and panic welling up inside her.

"Jess, you're an immortal, now. Like Duncan and Methos."

"Immortal? Like 'cut off your head and die' immortal?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, sweetie, like that."

Jess took a few deep breaths, as she took in what Joe had said. Then her thoughts returned to the events in the alley. "That woman was going to kill Adam."

"Cassandra. Yeah, she was."

"That was Cassandra? I didn't even know. I just saw her standing over Adam, and I panicked. I ran to push her away from him. I didn't even see the knife she was holding. I ran right into it."

"Then, Cassandra didn't do it on purpose?"

"Do what?"

"Kill you."

"No, it was an accident. I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or her. You said Adam was okay. Where is he?"

"He and Duncan went to find Cassandra. Methos, I mean Adam, whatever. Anyway, he thought Cassandra killed you on purpose, to get back at him. He was furious."

"You mean they left? While I was still...they just left?"

Joe heard the pain in her voice. He tried to change the subject. "You must have distracted her long enough for him to recover. He said you saved his life."

Jess' face stilled, bitterness overwhelming the relief. "Yeah, I can see how grateful he was."

Joe was taken aback at her words, and the tone in her voice.

"Wait, Jess..."

"Look, Joe, I feel really grubby. I'm going to go take a shower." She headed to the bathroom.

"Jess, I should warn you..."

She stopped and faced him. "Yeah, Joe?"

"When the guys come back, you may feel something."

"Like what?"

"They call it 'the buzz'. I'm not sure what it's supposed to feel like, but it's an awareness of some kind that warns that another immortal is near. It usually hits the new immortals kinda hard, until they get used to it."

"I'll keep that in mind, Joe." She hesitated, uncertain. "Will you still be here when I get out?"

"I'll stay as long as you need me to." She nodded, and turned her head away before he could see the tears filling her eyes. But Joe wasn't fooled. He knew that the cut Methos and Duncan had inflicted went deeper than Cassandra's did. Damn the two of them anyway.

Thirty minutes later, Jess was sitting on the couch, finishing up the

coffee Joe had made for her. She had been quiet since coming out of the shower.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Duncan and Ad...and Methos know that I would become an immortal?"

"Yeah, they did."

"When did they know?"

"From the first. Immortals are able to 'sense' what they call a pre-immortal. It's kind of like 'the buzz', only softer somehow. At least, that's how Mac describes it."

She nodded, and started to say something else. But suddenly, she dropped the cup, and grabbed her head. Joe figured Duncan and Methos must have returned. Joe headed out to try and warn them about Jess.

Joe stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him, as the two immortals came close. "Listen, you two, go easy. Jess is really pissed right now."

Methos face was still tight with anger. "She should be. We couldn't find a damn trace of Cassandra." Methos went past Joe and opened the door. Joe tried again to warn them.

"You don't understand," he said, as the men walked past him and into the apartment. "It's not..."

Methos hadn't taken more than two steps into the room, when the wall behind him exploded into shards of flying debris, as the plate Jess hurled at his head missed, and shattered against the wall. Duncan barely ducked in time to avoid the matching cup.

Ducking another piece of crockery, Methos yelled, "Joe, what the hell is going on?"

"As I tried to tell you," Joe said from the safety of the hallway, "it's not Cassandra she's pissed off at. It's you two."

"But, why?" Duncan asked, ducking the wine glass that flew his way.

Duncan waited until Jess had run out of handy ammunition, then he rushed from one side, and Methos from the other. When Jess turned towards the closest target, Methos, Duncan grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. If he thought that would end it, he was sadly mistaken. Just because she'd run out of missiles, didn't mean she was unarmed.

Duncan's legs were taking a beating as Jess kicked him, and at Methos, whenever he came near enough to hit. That, coupled with her squirming in his arms, soon left numerous bruises and scratches on Duncan. Methos was faring no better, having gotten at the end of a well-placed kick to his knee. He slumped to the floor in pain, just as Jess gained her freedom from Duncan. She fled into Methos' bedroom, and slammed the door. The click of the lock being turned was like a gunshot in the sudden silence.

Duncan took in the mess in the living room, shards of glass and china everywhere. Methos was still on the floor, moaning in pain, as his shattered kneecap began to heal. Duncan gingerly headed over to the bedroom door, but the sound of sobs coming from the other side halted him in his tracks. Jess was crying like her heart was breaking.

He turned to Joe. "I don't understand. What happened? Why is she so mad?"

"Gee, I don't know." Joe stated sarcastically. "Could it have something to do with the fact that you two geniuses took off after Cassandra, when you should have stayed here until she recovered, do you think?" Duncan flushed in embarrassment.

Methos groaned as he got up off the floor, and put weight on his newly healed knee. "Damn, that hurt." He limped over to the couch, and fell onto the cushions, then looked up at Duncan, guilt written all over his face. "Joe's right. I should have stayed here until she came to. I was just so bloody angry. All I could see was that damned dagger buried in Jess' abdomen, and the life draining out of her eyes. Damn Cassandra."

"Cassandra didn't do it on purpose, Methos. Jess told me that she rushed Cassandra, to push her away from you. Cassandra was holding the knife and Jess ran into it. Accidentally." Joe could see the relief in Duncan's eyes at this news.

Methos bowed his head. "Hell. She dies saving me, and I go off trying to avenge it, rather than giving her the comfort that I knew she'd need. Damn it all, can't I do _anything_ right?"

"Well, we've got to talk to her," Duncan said. He headed over to the bedroom door, when Joe's voice stopped him.

"Wait a minute, Mac," Joe said. "Let's just give her some time. You know how Jess is when she's upset. Let her work through it. When she's ready to talk, she'll come out. In the meantime, she's a grown woman, and if she wants to lock herself in the bedroom, she has that right. Why don't we clean up in here. While we're at it, we should decide what to tell the police, in case they show up." The others nodded, then got to work.

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It was just past dawn, when Duncan shook Methos and Joe awake.

"Methos, wake up. Come on, Joe."

Methos raised blurry eyes to Duncan, trying to get the crick out of his neck from sleeping in his reclining chair all night. He could see Joe trying to uncurl from his lumpy couch. "What is it, MacLeod? It's too bloody early for this."

"Methos, Jess is gone. Your room is empty. She must have left after we all fell asleep. She probably went home."

Methos shook his head, trying to clear the last vestiges of sleep from his brain. "Shit. I was hoping we could talk to her first thing this morning."

"She most likely knew that, and that's why she left."

"Let me get showered, then we'll head over there. I need to apologize, the sooner the better."

"Yeah, me too," Duncan agreed.

The three men exited the apartment a little while later. Before they left in Duncan's car, Methos put his hand on Joe's shoulder.

"Thanks for staying with her last night, until we got back. I'm glad you were there for her." Joe just nodded, and stepped back as the men drove away.

During the drive over to Jess', Methos rehearsed what he wanted to say. But every thought went out of his head when Jess opened her door. Her eyes were cold, her expression closed. Methos felt sick knowing that he'd put that look on her face. She stood in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest. She didn't move back for them to enter, nor did she invite them in.

"Jess," Methos started hesitantly, "can we talk?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a free country." But she didn't budge from the doorway.

"Can we talk inside, lass?" Duncan asked.

Jess argued with herself, still hurt from their actions the night before. She looked around, and realized that they couldn't exactly have this conversation out here where anyone could hear them. Silently, she turned and went inside, leaving them to follow if they wanted.

Jess didn't offer them anything to drink, and she didn't take a seat, preferring instead to stand. Her stance was casual, but Methos could see the tension in her face. Methos took a deep breath.

"Jess, I am _so_ sorry about last night. I was so angry over what had happened to you, that all I could think about was getting back at Cassandra. I never meant for you to be drawn into this dirty little war with her, and I never, ever, meant for you to die. Not like that. But that doesn't excuse the fact that I let you down when you needed me most."

"The same goes for me, lass," Duncan stated. "I couldn't believe Cassandra would do that to someone who had no part in this. I wanted to try and stop it before it got anymore out of hand than it already had. But Methos is right, we should have been with you. You should have been our first concern, not Cassandra. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, how bad I feel."

"And I can't begin to tell you how hurt I feel. When Joe told me what had happened, all I could do was wonder why he was the only one who cared enough to stay with me. If it hadn't been for him, I'd have woken up all alone. He answered all the questions that _you two_ should have." The tears were rolling down her cheeks, even as she kept her head held high. She wrapped her arms around herself, and her voice strengthened.

"But, it doesn't matter now. It's done. Now I'm one of you, I'm part of this bloody little game. But don't worry," she said bitterly. "You both made sure that I would be prepared for this, didn't you? I know more about sword fighting than most newcomers. So you can both soothe your conscience with that, and go find some other little pre-immortal to adopt." She turned away from them, and opened the door in an obvious signal for them both to leave.

But Methos had no intention of going anywhere just yet. Moving to the door, he pulled the handle out of her hand, then closed and locked the door. When Jess made a move to head into her bedroom, it was Duncan who blocked the attempt.

"Jess, neither of us is leaving until this is cleared up. What you meant by that last little statement is wrong."

"Is it, 'Uncle Adam?'" she said, her tone frosty. "Is it really?"

"Yes, it is, young lady." Methos said sternly. "Now sit down, so we can talk." Methos kept still, watching the emotions flitting across Jess' face. Her stance still rigid, she nevertheless sat down, grudgingly.

"Now you listen to me, Jessica MacLeod. Our decision to take you with us all those years ago had _nothing_ to do with the fact that you were destined to become an immortal. The fact that you could even think that hurts, although it's no more than I deserve right now."

"So you're saying you didn't know?"

"No, that 's not what we're saying, Jess," Duncan continued. "We're saying that we decided to take you with us for different reasons."

"Then explain."

Duncan ran a hand through his hair. "It's a complicated story."

She sat back against the cushions of the chair. "Well, I'm immortal now, so it's not like I don't have the time," she said sarcastically.

"I can't speak for Methos, but I've known a lot of people in my time that I knew were destined to become immortals. And some of them were children. But you and Richie are the _only_ ones that I've ever taken into my home. That didn't have anything to do with your immortality, it had to do with the two of you." Duncan ran a hand down Jess' cheek, gently wiping the tears away.

"Ah, lass, any girl that could face two sword-wielding men in a back alley, and then ask them if they're angels...I literally felt my heart wrapping itself around your little finger. _You_ did that, Jess, not your immortality."

Jess chewed on her lower lip, desperately wanting to believe him, but not sure she could stand the hurt if she discovered that they'd been lying to her all these years.

Methos knelt down beside her, and took her hand. "You got mine in the hospital. You ran behind the two of us, then looked up with such trust. I knew then that I always wanted you to be able to look at me like that. I haven't felt protective of many people in my life, but I did with you. And I will always feel that way. You call me 'uncle', but you're more like a daughter than a niece. And I'm not going to stop worrying about you now just because you're immortal. I'll always want to protect you, even though I know I won't always be able to. And even when I make mistakes, like I did last night, I will always love you."

Jess stared deeply into both men's eyes, trying to gauge the truth of their words. She must have seen what she needed to see, because a smile suddenly appeared on her face, and she threw herself into Methos' arms. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I just...when Joe said you knew from the beginning about my immortality, I thought you just..."

"Just what, felt sorry for you? No. Afraid for you, yes. But not pity. Even then," Methos said, trying to lighten the mood, "you were already an independent little brat. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to grow up and be an independent big brat." He playfully tweaked her nose at this, eliciting a laugh.

She turned to Duncan. "Can you ever forgive me? I'm sorry I doubted you."

"And I'm sorry I wasn't there last night. Can we forgive each other?" She nodded, and Duncan held out his arms for a hug. Jess obliged.

When Joe showed up later, he was relieved to see that things seemed back to normal. Jess and Methos were once again ganging up on Duncan, and driving the Scot crazy with their antics. Joe was glad to see this, and eagerly accepted the beer Jess offered. While she was in the kitchen, Methos asked Joe if he'd found Cassandra yet. Duncan objected.

"Methos, leave it alone."

"I wish I could, MacLeod, but that's not possible, and you know it. She's not going to give up until one of us is dead. And I'd rather it not be me."

"I'll talk to Cassandra," Duncan maintained.

"It's too late for that. She is not going to let this go, Duncan. Eventually, she and I _will_ finish it. You can't prevent it. No one can."

"Damn it, Methos, you can't..."

Jess put two fingers into her mouth, and gave a shrill whistle that any drill sergeant would be proud of. She got everyone's attention. "Enough! Do you two mind if I say something? Good," she continued, not waiting for either man to answer. Jess had never been shy about expressing her opinion, and today was no exception.

"It's obvious that all of this could have been prevented if Methos had kept it in his pants all those centuries ago." Methos winced, and tried to ignore the smug look the Highlander shot him by taking a huge gulp of his beer. Jess continued on. "But he didn't. It's over and done with. It can't be changed. So, Duncan, get the broomstick out of your ass, and shut up about it."

The beer that Methos was trying to swallow met up with the laughter that broke forth at Jess' statement. The result was a shower of beer that spewed out of his mouth, dousing his favorite sweater, and Duncan, who was sitting next to him on the couch.

Joe had barely managed to contain his snort of laughter at Jess' statement. Seeing the objects of her tirade suddenly getting an impromptu beer bath, compliments of Methos, was too much for him. He burst into laughter, not stopping until his sides hurt, and tears were streaming down his face. By the time he finally got himself under control, Jess had returned from the kitchen and threw each immortal a dish towel. Picking up her purse from the table where she had left it earlier, she walked over and stood by Joe.

"Once you two children finish drying off my couch," she said primly, "lock the door behind you. In the meantime, Joe, I'm in the mood for steak. How about it? My treat."

"I'm right behind you, Jess." With a last glance at the two men, beer still dripping from their hair, Joe walked out and closed the door behind him. Both men stood still and stared at the door for a few moments. Then Duncan turned to Methos.

"When did we lose control of this situation?"

"MacLeod," Methos said, one eyebrow raised in a sardonic expression, "what makes you think we ever _had_ control?"

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One week later, Jess walked into Joe's bar. The place was technically closed, but Jess knew the man was in his office, probably doing Watcher business. She knocked on door and waited. The door opened, and Joe motioned Jess inside. He was on the phone, and she took a seat while he finished his call.

"Well, Jess," Joe said, hanging up the phone.

"Morning, Joe. Did you get the info I asked for?"

Joe rested his chin on his steepled hands, contemplating the young woman in front of him. "Jess, what do you think this will accomplish?"

"There's only one way to end this, Joe. And that's dealing with Cassandra head-on."

"But, Jess, you're still fairly new to the Game. Don't you think you should hold off for a while?"

"No, Joe. The sooner this is done, the better. Now, do you have what I need?"

With a sigh, Joe handed Jess a piece of paper. She read it, then reached up and gave Joe a swift kiss on the cheek. "Wish me luck." She walked out the door. Joe sat down in the chair, doubt weighing heavily on his mind.

"Good luck, kiddo. You're gonna need it."


	4. Chapter 4

part 4-Prophecy Fulfilled

Jess pulled into the parking lot of the old chapel and checked the clock. Right on time. She reached for her purse and opened the door. Spying her coat on the passenger seat, she debated taking it along, knowing her weapon was hidden within its folds. Better safe than sorry, she thought to herself, picking it up. "I need to get used to carrying the thing, anyway." The mild September day could turn cold soon anyway, if the clouds gathering

on the horizon were any indication.

She walked up the stone walkway and climbed the four steps into the church. As she put a hand on the door handle, she felt the sensation of another immortal. Damn, but that was gonna take some getting used to. She still got slightly queasy from the effect of the buzz. Opening the door, she walked into the dimly lit sanctuary, and spied her target sitting in one of the pews. Walking up the aisle, she approached the woman sitting there.

"Cassandra," she said. "Thanks for meeting me." She held out her hand. "We didn't get properly introduced last time. I'm Jessica. Jessica MacLeod."

Cassandra gripped Jess' hand hesitantly, like someone afraid of getting bit. Nevertheless, the woman shook Jess' hand graciously, sorrow in her eyes. Jess laid her purse and coat aside, and took a seat in the pew in front of Cassandra.

"Before we get started," the other woman said, "I want to apologize for what happened. I never meant for anyone else to be hurt. It happened so quick..."

Jess waved a hand in dismissal. "It was an accident, we both know that. It was going to happen one day. Better that it happened while I was young. At least I'll always be young and fit enough to defend myself."

Both women were silent for a minute. Then Jess blew out a breath, lifting the bangs that feathered over her forehead. "I'm not sure where to start. This isn't as easy as I had envisioned it would be. I'm not sure how to say what I want to say."

"Straight out is usually best."

"You're right. So here goes. Cassandra, can't you try to find a way to forgive Methos? He's not the same man he was back then. Whatever happened all those centuries ago, I know it still hurts him, still haunts him. He pays for it every day, he relives it every night in his dreams. Can't you try to let it go? Let it rest?"

"Do you really believe it's that easy? That I can just forget what happened, what he did?"

"I'm not asking you to forget, Cassandra. I'm just asking you to try to find it in your heart to forgive him, to go on with both your lives. I don't expect that it'll be easy. Even if you can't forgive him, can't you at least drop this fight, both of you go your separate ways?"

Cassandra stood up, and began pacing the aisle. "I've tried. But it doesn't help. The wound is there, and it won't heal. He raped me, enslaved me. But more than that, because of him, my world was destroyed. I lost my people, my family. Can't you understand that?"

Jess nodded. "Yes, I understand that. Can you understand that because of that same man, I gained mine? Because of him, the hopeless life that I was living was replaced by a life where I was loved and safe and secure. In some way, Cassandra, I think you and I are two sides of the same coin that is Methos."

Cassandra had stopped pacing and resumed her seat. Jess could sense Cassandra's stare, and met her gaze unflinchingly. "Methos destroyed your world and made you a victim. He saved me from becoming a victim, and gave me a world to thrive in. He and Duncan raised me, loved me, became the parents that I never had."

"Duncan is a good man."

"Yes, he is. But, Cassandra, so is Methos. Now, anyway. Would you..." she trailed off, not sure it was right to ask.

"Would I what?"

"Forget it."

"Please, what were you going to ask?"

"Well, I've heard what Duncan says you told him, and Methos told me what happened between the two of you, both in Bordeaux and when he first met you. But I'd really like to hear your side of things. Would you mind?"

Cassandra took a deep breath, and hugged her arms around her, fighting off a chill. "It was so long ago. I had been found as a babe by the tribe's healer, Hajid. He raised me and taught me the healing arts, knowing that one day I would take over the tribe's care. Then the Horsemen came, with no regard for anyone but themselves. They slaughtered my entire tribe. When I came to, I was wrapped up in a blanket on the back of a horse. Then Methos released me, told me that I was his, that I would serve him. The days after

that all blurred together. I was raped, beaten, starved. When I stopped fighting him, then I was given a little more freedom. I tried to please him. And then..." She had to fight back tears. Suddenly, Jess' fingers wrapped themselves around hers, silently giving comfort. Cassandra continued.

"Then Kronos decided that it was his turn. And Methos didn't stop him, didn't say a word, just let him take me off. I hated him then. I still do. If you could have seen them when they rode into a village, Jessica, their faces masked, swords drawn. Death on horseback. And immortals, besides. Nothing scared them, nothing hurt them. They were inhuman."

"And all but Methos are dead. Two by Duncan's hand. And Methos killed the last one, didn't he?"

Cassandra nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes, Methos killed Silas. I could have killed him then, when he was down. He couldn't have fought me. But Duncan stopped me, said he wanted him to live. For Duncan's sake, I walked away. I've tried to go on, but I can't forget it. Can't forget that he is still out there, still alive and free. I can't walk away again."

"If you had killed him in Bordeaux, then he and Duncan wouldn't have been there to save me."

"Tell me, how did you come to live here with them?" Cassandra asked.

"I was thirteen and living on the streets. I'd run away from my foster father, because he was trying to molest me. It didn't take long to realize that I wasn't any safer on the streets than I had been with him. The first time I met Methos and Duncan, they saved me from being raped. They took me to the hospital, stayed with me all night, and made me feel safe. Something I hadn't felt in a very long time. When social services took me away the

next morning, Methos pressed a slip of paper in my hands that contained his motel and room number. When I was given back to my foster father, he made it clear that things weren't going to change. So I ran again, except this time, I had someone to run to. Methos and Duncan decided to take me with them. We left the next day. And I've never regretted it."

"So they both raised you?"

"Yes, although I lived with Methos. I didn't know at the time that they were both immortals, or that Duncan was constantly being challenged. I know now that that's why I lived with Methos. Duncan had too many people coming after him."

"Did you have a good childhood? Were you happy?"

"Yes. It wasn't easy, though. Especially after I found out that they were immortals, and that they played this 'Game'. I'm not sure I like being a part of it, but if I want to survive, I suppose I don't have a lot of choice."

"I'm sor..."

"Don't Cassandra. It was an accident. It had to happen sooner or later. And giving my mortality to save Methos is a sacrifice that I'd make again without hesitation. Even now, my life, my head, is worth sacrificing for him."

"You love him that much?"

"Yes. I wish I could prove to you how much he's changed, but you have no reason to trust me, to take my word for it. I just...I shudder to think what my life would have been like if he and Duncan hadn't come into it."

"What are some of your fondest memories, if you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all. I guess one would be my first Christmas with them. I think everyone was trying to make up for all the lousy ones I'd had. We did everything you could think of. Shopped, went caroling, trimmed the tree, decorated the apartment and the dojo. I even got to help decorate Joe's bar. Some nights, I would wake up and go into the living room, just to stare at the lights on the tree. I'd sit there in the dark, and pinch myself to be sure that I wasn't dreaming. Methos always seemed to know. He would come and just sit next to me. He wouldn't say anything; he would just sit there. Eventually, I'd fall asleep and wake up the next morning back in my own bed."

"And you never felt afraid of him?"

"No, never. I'm not sure if he could say the same, though." She smiled.

Cassandra frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You said that the Horsemen seemed unafraid, that nothing scared them."

"Right."

"You should have seen Methos the night I had my first slumber party. The look on his face while trying to handle ten teenage girls by himself would have given you immense satisfaction. I think he was under the impression that the Roman army had invaded Seacouver, and his apartment in particular."

Cassandra laughed, then stopped, surprised at herself. The sound seemed so foreign to her. She couldn't remember the last time she had found something worth laughing at. "Go on, I'd like to hear this."

"Well, to give him credit, he was actually doing okay. He was faithfully writing down the instructions for each girl, as the mothers dropped them off. Who took what medication, who couldn't eat what food. Everything was going fine. Until the fire department showed up." Jess laughed softly.

Cassandra's eyebrows raised at that. She could feel herself being pulled into this story that Jess was weaving. "The fire department? What happened?"

"Well, we had been making marshmallow treats. We put the marshmallows and butter in a pan to melt. Unfortunately, we got distracted. We ended up back in my room. Anyway, Methos must have noticed the pan on the stove, and he tried to pick it up. But he forgot to use the potholders, and burned himself. He dropped the pan, and the stuff went everywhere. The walls, the stovetop, and him. He had it in his hair, on his face and down the front of his clothes. Some of it even landed on his bare feet."

"Oh, yuck." Cassandra remarked, grinning.

"It gets better. Before he could think, he heard the shrieks and cries coming from my room, and came running. Right into the middle of a pillow fight."

"I hope someone socked him good."

"Better than that. The pillow burst its seams, and rained feathers down on him. Marshmallow coating and all. He looked like a mangy chicken! Oh, if you could have seen his face."

Cassandra laughed out loud. "He got tarred and feathered! Too bad you didn't have a camera. I would like to have seen that photo. But what about the fire department?"

"Well, the burner was still on, so when the marshmallow goo landed on it, it started to burn. It set off the smoke detector, which was REALLY loud, and one of our neighbors called the fire department. In the meantime, Methos grabbed a fire extinguisher, and tried to put out the smoldering mass, but got the damned nozzle turned around, and sprayed himself instead." Jess was holding her sides from laughing so hard. "By the time the fireman had left, poor Methos was already exhausted, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet! His night wasn't anywhere _near_ being over."

"Did you and your friends torment him like that the whole night?"

"Pretty much, although we didn't mean to. We actually had good intentions, but somehow managed to do the wrong thing at the wrong time."

"Such as?" Cassandra wanted to know, getting into the spirit of things.

"Well, he went off to take a shower. We tried to be helpful by washing his clothes, especially his sweater, because I knew it was one of his favorites. But we kind of forgot to check and see if he was done in the shower before we started the washer. When we turned it on, the water in the shower got ice cold in about two seconds. The yell he let out when it hit was so loud, one of our neighbors came over to check on us. She thought maybe we were skinning a cat, or something. Methos' lips were still blue when he came

back into the living room."

Cassandra's face hurt from grinning so much, but this was too funny for her to want to stop now. "Go on, please."

"About the only thing that night that we did on purpose was the joke with the shaving cream."

"Shaving cream?"

Jess was just about to elaborate, when she and Cassandra both felt the buzz of another immortal. They glanced at the door, wearing matching expressions of trepidation. When Methos walked into the chapel, Cassandra's gaze became shuttered and wary. Jess' became stormy.

"I'm gonna kill Joe," she muttered under her breath. Gazing at Methos, a stubborn tilt to her chin. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, good morning to you, too. I came to see what you were up to."

"I'm talking, _privately_ with Cassandra. You came, you saw, now go."

"No, stay," Cassandra surprised herself by saying. Both Methos and Jess looked at her, one expression hopeful, the other cautious. "I mean...uh, Jess was just telling me about growing up with you and Duncan."

He turned to Jess. "Telling her all my secrets, you little urchin?" he said, his voice gruff, but his expression tender as he gazed at Jess. He smiled and ruffled her hair. Cassandra didn't take her eyes off him, watching his manner with Jess.

"Yep," Jess said smugly. "I was about to spill the beans about the shaving cream incident."

Methos looked puzzled. "Shaving cream incident? What shaving cream incident?"

"The one that took place after the pillow fight at my slumber party."

Cassandra watched avidly as the tide of red swept up Methos' face, and couldn't help laughing out loud.

"You told her about _that_?" he asked Jess in a hoarse whisper.

"If by 'that', you mean your losing battle with the marshmallow and feathers, then yes, I did."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Cassandra said. "I want to know what happened with the shaving cream?" Her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Jess and her band of teenage felons tried to asphyxiate me," Methos growled, although his expression was anything but fearful.

Jess put on an offended expression. "You weren't supposed to inhale it. Besides, that's what you get for being the first one to fall asleep at a slumber party." She turned to Cassandra. "See, he rented these scary movies for us to watch. We were having a horror marathon. He fell asleep in the middle of it. So, we went and got his shaving cream." Jess had to stop several times and chuckle.

"We sprayed it in his hands, taking care not to wake him up. Then we started tickling his face with a feather. He reached up to scratch his face, and got shaving cream up his nose. He started choking, and the shaving cream started coming out his mouth. He looked like a rabid dog." Jess laughed as she looked at Methos' stern expression, knowing he wasn't

really mad.

"Mfph," Methos grunted. "It wasn't enough that I had to take out a loan to pay off the pizza delivery guy, or that my favorite sweater was bleached _AND_ shrunk, or that I took more baths that day than I did in the entire fifteenth century. No, you had to try and smother me with shaving cream."

"Well, look on the bright side, Methos," Jess said, "at least _you_ didn't have to get your hair cut the next day to make the ends even." She laughed.

Methos grinned. "There is that. I suppose I really should have warned Duncan to hide the sharp objects, but what fun would that have been? Besides, he got what he deserved, letting your little group of terrorists anywhere near his hair."

"Oh, come on, Stacy didn't mean to actually cut it. It was an accident."

Methos raised his eyebrows. "One inch is an accident, Jess. Five inches is scalping."

Cassandra interrupted. "When did this happen?"

"At Jess' second and _last_ slumber party. I made Duncan host it. And I turned off my phone." Methos chuckled in remembrance, forgetting for the moment that Cassandra was there. He just looked at Jess fondly, his green-gold eyes soft. Cassandra was stunned at the look in his eyes, not quite sure if it was real, or a trick of the light streaming in through the stained-glass windows.

Methos cleared his throat, then glanced at Cassandra. Turning his gaze back to Jess, he said, "So everything's okay here?"

Jess sighed. "Yes, 'Dad', everything is fine. Don't worry."

Methos' gaze went back and forth between Jess and Cassandra. He almost smiled at the twin expressions on their faces, both with eyebrows raised, as if to say 'why are you still here?' But his sense of survival told him that laughing at the two of them would _not_ be a good way to keep his head. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "All right, all right, I'm going. Dinner tonight, Jess?"

"Can't, I have a date tonight."

"Tomorrow, then?" He looked at her with his lost-puppy-dog expression. Jess wasn't fooled.

"Are you buying?"

"Don't I always?"

"No, you don't."

"Then why ask a silly question?"

Jess let out an exasperated breath. "Oh, get out of here. Go, go on, and leave us alone. We haven't finished talking yet."

Methos smiled. "Yes, ma'am." He gave Jess a soft kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow." With that, he walked out of the church. Both women were silent until they heard a car start up, then drive away.

Jess' attention returned to Cassandra, a smile on her face. Cassandra expression was one of contemplation.

"He really has changed, Cassandra."

"It seems like it, I know, Jess. But I just don't trust it. Methos is a very patient man. It wouldn't be unheard of for him to put on an act for years, if it meant achieving his main objective. For your sake, I'm glad. I'm glad he and Duncan were there for you. But it doesn't change how I feel. The game goes on. And I can't, I won't forget that."

Jess looked down at the floor, then stood and gathered her coat and purse. "Well, I had to try. But keep something in mind, Cassandra. I'm in this game now. And Methos is important to me. You fight and defeat him; there won't be anyplace you can hide from me. I'll track you down, and you will face me."

Cassandra's expression hardened. "If that's the way it has to be, so be it."

"Then think on this. If you and I face each other, no matter the outcome, Duncan is the big loser. You know he wouldn't be able to let it go. I kill you-I've killed a friend, a lover. You kill me-you've killed his child. He shouldn't have to suffer for something that happened thousands of years before he was even born. Think about that." Jess turned and quickly walked away. Cassandra bowed her head, as the door slammed shut behind Jess.

_Seacouver-3 months later_

Duncan was behind the bar at Joe's place, fixing a leaky beer tap for the Watcher. He suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of another immortal. His head came up, narrowly missing the edge of the bar. He moved closer to the chair where he had draped his coat. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw Cassandra come through the door, her coat covered with snow.

"Cassandra, this is a surprise. You left so suddenly last time, I thought something must have happened."

"I just had a lot of thinking to do, Duncan." She removed her coat and brushed the snow off, before hanging it over a nearby stool.

Duncan looked at her in concern. "Are you okay, Cassandra?"

Cassandra was about to answer Duncan, when Joe came out of the back room. He stopped when he saw the bar's latest customer. "Cassandra, welcome back to Seacouver." His tone was cordial enough, but his expression was wary, and his gaze flicked over to the door of the bar.

"Is something wrong, Joe?" Duncan asked.

"Wrong? No, no, nothing. Why should anything be wrong?" Joe said quickly.

"Joe, spit it out. What is it?"

Joe looked towards Cassandra. "It's just that, well, uh…" He took a deep breath, then continued. "Methosisduehereanyminute." He mumbled hurriedly, in one unbroken sentence.

Duncan grimaced, then glanced at Cassandra. He didn't know what to say, and if he had, there wouldn't have been a chance to say it anyway, as both he and Cassandra felt the buzz of an approaching Immortal. Methos came into the bar, with the cold December wind at his back. The wind slammed the door closed behind him with a sharp finality.

"Damn, I haven't been this cold since I joined Robert Peary in his trek to the North Pole." He rubbed his hands together, trying to get warm, then glanced towards the bar. His gaze met Cassandra's. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. This was just not turning out to be his day.

Both Joe and Duncan were silent, trying to find a way to separate the two Immortals before someone lost their head, literally. But Methos could see by the look in Cassandra's eyes that it wasn't going to happen. The frost in her eyes made the weather outdoors seem like a heatwave. Methos sighed, tired of the cat and mouse game.

"All right, Cassandra, let's go. We may as well finish this once and for all." He turned to go outside, while Cassandra gathered her coat, and the sword hidden inside it. Joe grabbed Methos, while Duncan pleaded with Cassandra.

"Please, don't. This doesn't have to happen." Duncan gazed into Cassandra 's eyes, seeing only the determination to finish the fight.

"I walked away from this once, Duncan, for you. I've listened to you and Jess both swear he's changed, but I just don't believe it. I won't walk away. Not again, not ever again." She shrugged off his hand, and Duncan leaned against the stool in defeat, knowing that in the next few minutes he would lose a friend, no matter who won.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and admitted a person whose news would change all their lives forever.

"Mr. Pierson, Mr. MacLeod." The young girl was breathless from her run, and tears were streaming down her face, almost frozen from the weather outside.

"Stacy?" Methos said, recognizing one of Jess' oldest and closest friends. He caught the girl before she collapsed on the floor, and helped her to a chair. She was breathing hard, and shaking. Methos turned to Joe. "Get her something warm to drink, would you?" Cassandra was forgotten for the moment as all three men hurried to help Stacy. Duncan came and draped a coat around her, as Methos tried to calm her down enough to talk.

Joe went around the bar and poured a cup of coffee, putting in a splash of brandy. Cassandra grabbed the cup, and took it to the table, handing it to Methos. He put the cup in Stacy's hand, and he coaxed her to drink. "Come one, just a few sips. Come on, now." The young girl took a few sips, wincing at the taste of the brandy. But it was warm, and she caught her breath. She looked up at the men surrounding her, and the tears started falling again.

"It's…it's Jess. She's been kidnapped, Mr. Pierson. Right in front of me. I…I," She buried her face in her hands, trying to get a grip on her emotions so that she could help her friend. She took a deep breath, unaware that all four of the bar's occupants had gone still. "Jess made me promise years ago that if anything ever happened to her, I was to contact you first, even before the police. I don't know why, but I promised…"

Duncan knelt down beside Stacy's chair, and gripped her hands. "It's all right, you did the right thing. Now, tell us what happened."

"We…we had gone to do some Christmas shopping at the mall. We had our hands full of packages and were heading back to the car, when this man stepped in front of Jess. She turned white as a sheet, and dropped the packages she was carrying. Then this guy, he just…he punched her. I couldn 't believe it! Then, before she fell, he grabbed her, put her in a car and drove off. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't think of what to do. I'm

sorry, Mr. Pierson, so sorry. I should have done something, said something." She started crying again. Duncan and Methos looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Someone was using Jess to get at them.

"No, honey," Duncan said softly. "You did the right thing."

Suddenly, Methos remembered something. "Stacy," he said to the sobbing girl. He grabbed her shoulders. "Stacy, listen to me." He shook her gently, until he was sure he had her attention. "Stacy, did you get a good look at him?" She nodded. "Good girl. Do you think you could draw him for us?" Methos knew that Stacy was an artist, having seen much of her work over the years that she and Jess had been friends. "Could you do that for me?"

Stacy's eyes got big, and then she nodded. Joe fetched a pencil and some paper from his office. Stacy quickly began sketching, focused on doing something to help her friend. Cassandra stayed near her, as the three men walked over to the bar, talking in hushed tones.

"Joe," Duncan asked, "who is Jess' Watcher?"

"Travis Manning. He's a friend of mine. We go way back. Let me give him a call, see if he was with her today." The Watcher disappeared into his office, and the two Immortals continued their conversation.

"Who do you think it could be, Methos?" Duncan asked softly, so Stacy wouldn't overhear him use the other immortal's true name.

"I'm not sure, MacLeod. We both have so many enemies. It could be anyone of them. But from Stacy's story, it had to be someone Jess knew, someone she recognized."

Duncan brought up another point. "Stacy didn't mention that Jess reacted before he appeared, so it couldn't have been one of us that actually grabbed her. Whoever has done this has a mortal helping them."

Cassandra approached them, the sketch in her hand. Stacy was still sitting at the table, sipping the last of the coffee, trying to think of anything else she could do to help.

Cassandra handed the sketch to Duncan. "Does he look familiar?" she asked, after Duncan had glanced at it.

Duncan shook his head. "Not to me." He passed it to Methos. "How about you?"

Methos studied the picture carefully. The man Stacy had drawn seemed familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. He was still gazing at the drawing when Cassandra murmured something to Duncan about getting a cab to take the young girl home.

Duncan reentered the bar a little while later, after escorting Stacy to the cab, and assuring her that she had done everything she could for her friend. Joe called Adam's name from his office, and Duncan and Cassandra followed the man back into the room where Joe's office was. Joe was just hanging up the phone.

"Well, Travis was following her today. He got the license number of the car that was being driven." He handed a slip of paper to Methos. "Think you can hack into the system for the Department of Licensing, old man?"

"Not a problem." Methos said as he sat down in front of the terminal and started to boot up the system. Joe turned to Duncan. "Travis followed them out of the city, then lost them. He's backtracking right now to see if he can find out where they turned off. He'll call back as soon as he knows anything."

Duncan nodded. The office was silent for a few minutes, except for Methos' fingers tapping on the keys of the computer's keyboard. Methos started muttering under his breath, and Duncan leaned over him as he continued typing. "What is it, Methos?"

Methos didn't even look up from the computer. "The car is registered to a rental agency. I'm trying to get into their system right now to find out who rented the car."

"Do you think you can get into their system."

Methos grunted. "I got into the DOL's, didn't I? This will be a piece of cake." After a few more minutes, he smiled. "Pay dirt. The car was rented yesterday morning by a William Standish out of Philadelphia."

"Standish? Doesn't sound familiar, but I guess that's not unusual, as often as some of us change names." Duncan said. Methos' brow was furrowed in concentration.

"MacLeod, where's the sketch Stacy drew?" Duncan walked out of the office and retrieved it from the bar, taking it back to Methos. The elder immortal looked at it closely, his eyes glancing back and forth from the sketch to the computer screen. Suddenly, he paled and slumped back in his chair. "Fuck. How the hell did he find her?"

Who?" Duncan asked. "Methos, who is it?"

Methos looked at Duncan, the worry in his eyes clear to Duncan. "It's Jess ' foster father, MacLeod. The one she was running from when we found her." Duncan was mute for several moments, as this information registered.

Cassandra jumped into the conversation. "Wait a minute, this is the guy that was trying to molest her when she was a child?"

Methos nodded grimly, while Duncan glanced at Cassandra. "How did you know about that?"

"Jess mentioned him a couple of months ago, when she told me how she came to be raised by the two of you."

"When did this happen? I never knew this. I didn't even realize you two knew each other."

"We talked a couple of months ago, Duncan. After I 'killed' her."

Duncan glanced at Methos and Joe, neither of whom seemed surprised at this news. "Am I the only one who didn't know what was going on?"

Joe looked sheepish. "She asked for my help in locating Cassandra, Duncan. She said she just wanted to talk. I didn't see any harm in it."

Duncan looked ready to argue, but Methos interrupted. "Could we forget about what happened back then, and concentrate on now. We need to find her, Highlander, before this son of a bitch does anything more to her. Joe, did Travis say which direction? We may as well start heading that way."

"They headed towards the mountains. He lost them about a half hour outside the city limits, somewhere near the Columbia River."

"Okay, we'll head that way. Call us when he calls you, and we'll find his position." They all headed out of the office, and Methos and Duncan grabbed their coats. Cassandra gave Duncan a hug, then stepped back. "I'll stay here with Joe," she said.

"No!" Methos said, and continued before Duncan could interfere. "Please, Cassandra, come with us." Joe, Duncan and Cassandra all looked surprised, but Methos wasn't paying attention. His gaze was focused on his feet. Then he looked up at Cassandra, and she saw the tears in his eyes. "Please. If he…if we don't get there in time, and he has already…" his voice cracked with emotion. "If he's already raped her, it'll be easier if there's another woman around to help. Please."

Cassandra silently gazed at Methos, then nodded. She gathered up her coat and followed him out the door. Throwing a last, helpless glance at Joe, Duncan was right behind them. Joe bowed his head in a quick prayer, then grabbed his phone and a beer and sat down at a table to wait.

They met up with Travis, Jess' watcher, about a half mile down the road from the old farmhouse where Standish had gone. Methos only hoped that Jess was still with him. It had taken Harry almost an hour to find the car. Standish could have done anything to Jess during that time and dumped her somewhere. Methos clenched his hands in rage as he thought about what Jess could have, or could be, going through. By the gods, that bastard would pay. Methos promised himself that after tonight, Jess would never have to worry about Standish again.

Methos was so engrossed with worry for Jess, that he didn't even wonder why Travis made no comment about one of their own being with the two immortals. He couldn't know that Joe had chosen Travis as Jess' Watcher for a reason. Travis knew that 'Adam Pierson', ex-Watcher was really an immortal. Travis had known for several years, and had never said anything to anyone other than Joe. Joe had known that Travis would keep Adam's secret.

Methos glanced over toward Duncan and Cassandra. Duncan looked as furious as Methos felt. But Cassandra's eyes held only contempt, and not just for Standish. Methos knew that in Cassandra's eyes, he was no different from Jess' foster father. Methos broke eye contact, and heard a snort from Cassandra, but ignored it. He couldn't worry about her right now. He had to get to Jess.

They headed the half-mile to the farmhouse on foot. No sense in letting the man know he was about to have unwanted company. Once there, there was a brief discussion among them. Then the three immortals headed forward, each trying to find a way into the house. If they came from three directions, maybe they could distract him enough for one of them to find Jess and get her out.

Duncan headed to the east side of the house, trying to find a door or window he could get into. There was one room that had a faint light on. He silently made his way to the window, trying to see through the frosted glass. When that didn't work, he tried to wipe some of the frost away. What he saw made his blood chill.

Jess was bound to the bed in a spread-eagle position. Her shirt had been ripped open, and her face was a mass of bruises, which Duncan could see were healing, even as he watched. There was a gash on her head that was slowly starting to repair itself. Duncan was close enough to feel her, but she didn't move, didn't give any indication that she felt the presence of another immortal. Duncan guessed she was unconscious. He looked around, trying to see where Standish might be, but didn't see the man. He was just about to try and open the window when he saw movement coming from the doorway. His breath caught in his throat until he felt the 'buzz' and realized it was Cassandra. She had found a way in! He quietly tapped on the window, seeing her look around at the sound. She finally saw his face in the spot he had cleared off. She hurried over and opened the window. When Duncan made an attempt to climb in, she stopped him.

"Stay there." She whispered. "Let me untie her, and hand her out to you. Maybe we can get away before he realizes she's gone." Duncan nodded, and Cassandra moved to the bed. Using her sword, she quickly cut through the ropes holding Jess. Laying down her sword, she started to drag the unconscious woman over to the window. Once Jess' head and shoulders where through the opening, Duncan pulled her the rest of the way out.

Cassandra was reaching back for her sword when she felt her hair being yanked back painfully. Tears stung her eyes at the pain, and she cried out. She could hear Duncan calling her name. She reached behind her, and tried to claw at her attacker's face, yelling at Duncan, "Go! Get her out of here. I'll be all right."

Turning around to face her enemy, Cassandra noticed that he was already sporting a black eye and various scratches and cuts. Apparently, Jess hadn' t gone down without one hell of a fight. Neither would Cassandra. She tried to kick him in the groin, but the man quickly blocked her attempt with his leg.

Already bleeding and in pain, Standish was in no mood to deal with another hellcat. Swinging as hard as he could, his fist caught Cassandra on the jaw, knocking her onto the bed. She was dazed, and shook her head, trying to keep the blackness hovering at the edge of her vision at bay. She couldn 't pass out! But her momentary lapse was all Standish needed. His anger at the injuries Jess had inflicted, and now her escape, made him even more vicious. Using the same ropes that Cassandra had cut off of Jess, he

quickly bound Cassandra's hands to the bed frame.

Cassandra struggled, but his furious strength was too much. Climbing on to the bed, Standish straddled Cassandra's legs. She looked up at him, and for one brief second saw the faces of the Horsemen superimposed over his. This angered her even more, and she spit in his face. She didn't even feel the stinging backhand he delivered. She just gazed at him, all the contempt she felt for Kronos, Caspian, Silas and Methos directed at this man.

"You've lost." she told him. "No matter what, you'll never get near her again. The next time, they'll be prepared. You'll die before you can lay a hand on her."

Standish laughed. "I got her once, I can get her again. Until then, I'll have to find a replacement for my evening's 'entertainment.' Since you've so kindly decided to join the party, you'll have to do." Moving her coat out of the way, Standish grabbed the edges of Cassandra's shirt and ripped it open, buttons flying off into the shadowed corners of the room. He gazed down at her with a lustful leer, licking his lips in anticipation. He

roughly grabbed her breasts and started to fondle them painfully. Cassandra bit her lip, determined not to cry out.

His hands moved down to his belt buckle, so occupied with this task, that he didn't hear the soft footfalls behind him, or see the woman underneath him freeze. He didn't notice her gaze dart over his shoulder. But he did notice when he was abruptly yanked off the bed. He landed hard on the floor, his breath leaving his lungs with a 'whoosh'. He found himself on his back, staring up to find a very long blade poised at his throat. His gaze moved up the length of the sword, and he stared into the furious green-gold eyes of its owner. If that wasn't enough to convince him that he was in very deep shit, the tone of the man's voice should have. But William Standish had never been known for his intelligence.

"Where is she, you bastard?" the intruder growled.

Standish just stared up at him, not saying a word. It was Cassandra who answered Methos. "Duncan's got her. She's okay. He didn't have time to finish…" She trailed off, not sure why she was so anxious to ease his mind.

Methos nodded, not taking his eyes off Standish. "Your life would have been a whole lot longer, and a lot less painful if you had stayed far away from Jess. Mistakes like that have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass."

Standish just smirked, still unaware of the danger he was in. "You can't protect her forever. Sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. Then she 's mine."

Cassandra would have recognized the expression on Methos' face. It had haunted her nightmares for centuries. But Methos' back was to her, and the face of Death was fastened on Standish. It wasn't until the final seconds of his life that William Standish realized his danger.

"Kind of hard to do anything from hell." Methos said in an even tone, then moved slightly. The tip of the sword poised at Standish's throat suddenly became embedded in it, severing his windpipe. The elder immortal turned away indifferently as the man started to choke on his own blood, his thrashing only speeding up his death.

Methos turned and raised his sword above the bed. Cassandra cried out, fearing that Methos was going to use this chance to take her head. The sword flashed down and…cut the ropes binding Cassandra to the bed. Cassandra yanked her hands free, and gazed warily up at Methos. He stepped over the body on the floor and moved towards the door. Looking back at the motionless woman on the bed, he said, "Are you coming?"

Cassandra leaped up from the bed, grabbing the edges of her coat together to cover her semi-naked form. Leaning down to pick up her sword from the floor, she gazed down into the eyes of the rapist. Shaking her head at the pitiful creature, she spit on him once more, then stepped over him and followed Methos out the door. William Standish died, discarded and forgotten on the floor, like the piece of garbage that he was.

Methos was walking quickly to where they had left the car. Cassandra was practically running in order to keep up with him. Neither of them said anything for several minutes, but Cassandra's curiosity got the better of her.

"Why did you do it, Methos?"

Methos sighed and stopped walking. He didn't turn around, but stared off into the distance. "Do what, Cassandra? Kill Standish, or not kill you?"

The cold night made the harsh breath she let out visible. "I know why you killed Standish. And it was the right thing to do."

"So glad you approve." Methos said sarcastically.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance. I would have, if our

positions had been reversed."

Methos turned around to look at her then. Cassandra took a step back seeing the anger in his eyes. She gripped her sword tightly, preparing to bring it up. Methos saw this and shook his head with disgust.

"You still don't get it, do you? When I asked you to come along and help Jess, I didn't just mean help get her away from Standish." Methos ran his hands through his hair, frustrated at having to explain himself. "I realize that she is going to have problems with this. It'll probably bring back a lot of the nightmares she used to have when she first came to live with us. I was hoping that you'd be available for her to talk to, if she needed it. Another woman, an immortal." He took a deep breath. Softly, so softly that Cassandra almost missed it, he said, "Someone who knows what she's going through."

"I'll do anything for Jess, Methos. For her sake, not for yours."

Methos laughed humorlessly. "Oh, hell, I wouldn't expect you to cross the street to spit on my grave, Cassandra. Too much effort for you. Let's just get Jess through this. Then we can worry about killing each other." He turned and resumed his trek to the car, Cassandra trailing behind him.

Duncan glanced up when he felt their presence. He smiled with relief when he saw them. "Thank the gods. Cassandra, are you all right? I heard you cry out, but…" He glanced at Jess' still form in the back seat of Methos' Range Rover.

"I know, Duncan. You had to get her away. I yelled for you to, but I wasn't sure you heard me."

"How is she, MacLeod?" Methos asked.

"Unconscious. I think he may have drugged her. We need to get her someplace warm."

"Someplace familiar to her." Cassandra said. Both men stared at her. "If she wakes up in familiar surroundings, she'll feel safer."

Duncan nodded, gazing at Jess. "Yeah, I guess you're right." His gaze moved back and forth between Methos and Cassandra. "So, where's Standish?"

"In hell, MacLeod. In hell." Methos braced himself, expecting a lecture.

"Good." was Duncan's only response. He helped Cassandra into the back seat. The woman moved Jess' head, until it was lying in her lap. Then Duncan climbed in front next to Methos. While Methos drove to Jess' apartment, Duncan called Joe on the cell phone.

"Joe, yeah, we got her. No, I don't think so. Yeah, we're taking her to her apartment. Cassandra thinks being in familiar surroundings will help once she wakes up. No, she hasn't. I think he may have drugged her. Standish?" He looked at Methos before answering Joe's question. "He's gone, Joe. No, Methos did. Yeah, I'll tell him. Listen, Joe, before you head out to meet us, can you do me a favor? Call Jess' friend, Stacy and let her know that Jess is okay. And…and tell Travis thanks. I owe him. We all do. Yeah, okay. See you in a little while." He disconnected and put the phone away. "Joe says he's glad you killed Standish. Saves him the trouble of having to do it himself."

Methos didn't say anything, and the car grew quite. The only sound that was heard on the remainder of the trip was Cassandra as she crooned softly to Jess.

Once they reached Jess' place, Duncan carried her inside and laid her on the bed. Methos grabbed Jess' favorite sweats and a sweater she had 'borrowed' from him before she moved out. The two men helped Cassandra get Jess comfortable, then left the women alone, heading out into the living room.

It was more than an hour later before Jess finally came to. Joe had arrived, and joined Duncan and Methos in their silent vigil. The three men in the living room could all hear Jess' cries. They rushed to the bedroom door, but stopped short, not wanting to overwhelm Jess. Cassandra was sitting on the bed, stroking Jess' forehead with a cool cloth, crooning softly.

"Shh, it's okay, Jess. You're safe. It's all right. Open your eyes, Jess, and look around. See, you're home. You're safe. He's not here, Jess. He can't hurt you anymore." Cassandra's tone stayed soft and reassuring, waiting while Jess' gaze frantically moved around the room, seeing for herself that Cassandra was telling the truth. Jess' gaze finally came to a rest on Cassandra, and with a cry, she threw herself at the older woman. Cassandra's arms came around Jess, rocking her back and forth, voice low and soothing. "That's right, Jess. Let it go. It's all right now. You're gonna be fine. You're safe now. Shh."

The men framed in the doorway silently pulled back, tears in their eyes. They all wanted to rush to Jess, to be the one comforting her. But they were afraid to frighten her. Better to let Cassandra deal with it. When Jess was ready, they'd be waiting to help. In whatever way they could.

They eventually heard Jess' sobs taper off, only the occasional sniffle sounded from the bedroom. Finally, Cassandra came out, closing the door softly behind her.

"She's asleep for now. I'll stay here tonight, though. She'll probably have nightmares."

"I'm staying, too," Methos said. He held up a hand to stop Cassandra when she opened her mouth to argue. "I'll sleep on the couch, and I won't go into her room. I just…I need to be close."

Duncan agreed. "I feel the same way, Cassandra. I can't leave. Not now, not yet."

"I understand, just please be careful. She's still afraid. She will be for quite some time." Cassandra turned to return to the bedroom when Methos ' voice stopped her.

"Cassandra."

She turned back to him, waiting.

"For what it's worth, thank you. I know that you're only doing this because of Jess, but…I appreciate it anyway."

Cassandra stared at him for several moments, then sighed heavily. "Look, I don't pretend to understand you, Methos. And I'll never like you. But Jess seems to think you're worth keeping around. She's a very special young woman, who happens to adore you. I still don't believe you've changed, but she does. For her sake, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Duncan could feel the little ray of hope blooming in his heart. "What exactly does that mean, Cassandra?"

Cassandra looked tired, and rubbed her forehead before answering. "It means that I won't keep trying for his head, Duncan. I won't hurt either you or Jess by continuing this vendetta, no matter how much I think he deserves it." She looked at Methos. "What happened between us is in the past, and I'll try my best to leave it there. I'll even try to be civil when I visit. And I will be visiting. So, unless you give me a reason to in the future, I won't come after you again." She didn't wait for a response from anyone, just returned to Jess' room, closing the door behind her.

The three men left in the living room were stunned. The only sounds in the apartment were the soft ticking of the clock in the corner, and Joe's soft "I'll be damned" murmured under his breath.

Over the next several weeks, Jess made steady progress as she tried to come to terms with everything that had happened. She was still jumpy, and would be for some time, but little by little, she seemed to be returning to a more normal state of mind.

Cassandra was a big help, and Jess felt good having someone to talk to about her fears. She came to appreciate the woman's wisdom and friendship. She began to feel about Cassandra as she did about Amanda. Like she had another big sister. Jess was overjoyed that Cassandra and Methos had declared a truce of sorts, even if it was a strained one. They had actually been civil to each other the night before. Methos had been waiting at Jess' door when the two women had returned from a run in the park.

Jess stood in front of her mirror, eyeing the new outfit she was wearing. A calf-length maroon skirt was paired with a soft sweater in a dusky rose shade. It complemented Jess' black hair, and brought a sparkle to her blue eyes. The outfit was a gift from Cassandra. They had picked it out together this afternoon, when both women had been looking for something to wear tonight. It was Jess' birthday, and they were heading to Joe's after

dinner to celebrate.

Dinner was a small, quiet affair at Duncan's loft. Amanda and Richie had flown in from London and Los Angeles, respectively. Stacy had shown up, and been praised for her part in helping to find Jess that night. Even Jess ' Watcher had been invited, although he declined. He told Joe that he didn't think he'd be able to do his job properly if he got to know his assignment too well. Joe could understand that, and passed on Travis' birthday wishes to Jess.

It was late in the evening before things started to wind down at Joe's. Jess felt safe and happy, surrounded by the people who loved her best. Stacy had left right after dinner, since she had to work early the next morning. Jess tried to hide a yawn behind her hand, knowing that it was getting to be time to head for home, but not wanting to end this evening just yet. She was having such a good time. Amanda and Cassandra were

actually getting along, teasing Duncan unmercifully. Richie was regaling everyone with tales about the races he'd been participating in down in LA. Jess looked around and couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be right now.

She was surprised when Joe came out from behind the bar with a package in his hand, laid it on the table in front of her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I don't understand, Joe. You already gave me a birthday present."

"This isn't a birthday gift, it's a gift just for being you. Go on, open it."

Jess tore off the outside wrapping, uncovering a box. Lifting the lid, she pulled out the gift. It was a hinged set of picture frames. Each side had a sheet of parchment paper, the writing on it done in beautiful, flowing calligraphy. On one side was what appeared to be some form of Gaelic. The other was in English. It read:

_i àil thig as an dorchadas_ **she will come from the darkness**

_àm leanabh de dàn_ **this child of fate**

_beir de dithis chaoidh òg athair_ **born of two ageless sires**

_aon de an sean dòigh_ **one of the ancient ways**

_aon de Gaidhealach fuil_ **one of Highland blood**

_a bàs àil thoir beatha nuadh_ **her death will bring life anew**

_a cridhe àil cum sìth ann a saoghal_ **her heart will keep peace in her world**

Jess looked up at Joe, tears in her eyes. "It's beautiful, Joe. Thank you."

"They found that Gaelic prophecy in Skye several years ago. Methos managed to decipher it."

"Without butchering the language too badly." Duncan interjecting with a laugh, earning a glare from the old man.

"Ha, ha, MacLeod. Very funny. But, Joe, I thought we decided not to tell Jess about the prophecy. You felt it would 'put pressure on her to fulfill it.'"

Joe just shook his head. "I think she already has fulfilled it, Methos." This brought curious looks from everyone, as Jess handed the frames around for the others to read. Duncan and Methos both looked confused.

"Care to explain that remark, Joe?" Duncan asked.

"Well, I got to thinking about it. That prophecy reads 'her heart will keep peace in her world.' Maybe it doesn't mean the entire world as a planet, but just Jess' corner of it. Six months ago, I wouldn't have thought that Amanda and Cassandra could sit in the same room without sniping at each other. And I never would have guessed that you and Cassandra could declare a truce. But yet, we're all here tonight, celebrating Jess'

birthday. Together. Her world is at peace."

Everyone was quiet for several minutes, allowing this to sink in. It was Richie that broke the silence. Raising his glass, he said, "Here's to Jess. May we all be around to celebrate her birthday for many years to come." Everyone raised their glasses and toasted Jess.

Meeting Methos' eyes, Cassandra could feel the last remnants of anger toward him drop away. She and Methos met each other halfway and clinked glasses, drinking to Jess.

THE END


End file.
